Hilldrop
Hotel in Newcastle

Arrive as guests, leave as friends - Hilldrop bed and breakfast has 6 well appointed garden cottages on a magnificent equestrian property situated 4km from the center of Newcastle.

Each room is individually theme decorated, fully equipped and has a home from home atmosphere. It is ideal for tourists and business travellers with high security, ample safe parking and remote control access. Your hosts Julie and Douglas Welsh are well known equestrian personalities and keep their stable of top competition jumping horses on the property. Facilities & Service Hilldrop Bed and Breakfast is situated on a magnificent equestrian property, 4km from the centre of Newcastle, in a richly historical area near old home of Sir Rider Haggard. Newcastle itself is nestled amongst famous Anglo-Boer war battlefields such as Amajuba Mountain. Dinner is available on request and you will be invited to join the family in their spacious and elegant home for pre dinner drinks around the fire in winter. We can offer airport transfers and are in close proximity of most restaurants. Start the day with a delicious, home-cooked English breakfast, or if you prefer, cereals, yoghurt and fruit. Enjoy fruit juice, tea and coffee with your breakfast. By arrangement, enjoy pre-dinner drinks around the fire in winter or on the patio in summer before Terry serves you a delicious home-cooked dinner. The story actually began long before Hilldrop when Douglas’s grandfather Harry sold up Glenfarg House in Scotland and immigrated to Durban, South Africa. Many places inaccessible by vehicle so it was done with packed donkeys with many losses to lions. At this time the family was based in Olengare, near Masai Mara Game reserve. The family finally settled in Durban, 1 Kloof Lane, on Fields Hill and opened the family business Gypsy Caravans at the foot of Fields Hill. Over the following 20 years further moves included Port Elizabeth and Zimbabwe and of course 9 Hillroad, Newcastle was declared home in 1974 and has been developed by the family ever since. In 1982, after the children had left for greener pastures, Dorothy refused to live in the big house alone so she started the B&B. The empty stables were converted into two rooms (room 10 and 11) and an additional room was built (room 9). In the early days Dorothy was known for her great cooking and all the entertainment was around the dinner table in the main house, eventually it was built up to 7 rooms by including the 4 rooms upstairs in the house. Sadly she had a stroke in 2003 and that was when Douglas and Julie returned to the family home and developed the business from the original 3 rooms outside to what it is today. The stables behind the house are always a hive of activity and guests are welcome to go and visit the stables. Horses and Riding The passion for horse riding was inherited as both Douglas’s parents rode, with his father winning a show jumping championship at the Rand Easter Show in 1942 and Douglas winning the same trophy in The passion brought with it many exciting times on walking trails in the Timbavati with many occasions being chased by lions and elephants and on one occasion an elephant putting Douglas in hospital for two months with many broken bones. Julie Julie grew up in the Eastern Cape and her family was pineapple farming and all her childhood holidays were spent at their cottage on the beach at the Fish River, hence the beach style rooms 5 and Fortunately for Julie for the next few years family beach holidays were replacing the bush holidays due to our recent addition, 2 year old Jamie and the threat of Malaria.