When Time Stood Still... and We Got Locked In

Today we left Hermanus for the three-hour drive to Matjiesfontein, a remarkable Victorian village full of history connected to the Boer War, English cricket and the Victorian era.

The village was founded in 1884 by the Scotsman James Logan and has been preserved almost exactly as it was, making it feel as though time has simply stood still.

It has a colourful history that includes famous English and South African cricketers, the renowned author Olive Schreiner and its role as the headquarters for the Cape Command during the Boer War.

The whole village is like an open-air museum. There is a transport museum, along with the original post office, jail, courthouse, chapel, railway station, cricket pitch and hotel, all beautifully preserved. It really is an incredible place with such a fascinating history that it's difficult to do it justice in words.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the village, listening to the excellent audio guide and taking in all the history.

Eventually we ended up in the pub, where we met some wonderful South African people. We chatted for hours before joining the village bus tour, which was short but very memorable. Our guide was extremely witty and made the history come alive.

After the tour we headed back to the pub before making our way to dinner. The dining room felt like stepping straight back into Victorian times. From the décor and the service to the waiters' and waitresses' uniforms, everything added to the atmosphere. We were lucky enough to have a table right beside the open fire.

Dinner was a delicious lamb shank, accompanied by a bottle of red wine. The whole Victorian experience became even more authentic when the power suddenly failed and we finished our meal by candlelight.

Matjiesfontein really is an amazing time warp. If you get the chance, Google the village and read about its history because I really can't do it justice, especially its fascinating connection with English and South African cricket around 1900 during the height of the Boer War.

Now remember the film Night at the Museum? Well, that was very nearly us.

We had gone into the Marie Rawdon Museum and were happily looking around the fascinating exhibits. We even stopped to chat to another couple as we made our way through. When we finished, we went to leave... only to discover the door had been bolted from the outside.

At first we thought we were just being silly and that there must be another way out. There wasn't.

Fortunately we had a phone signal, so we managed to ring the hotel through Booking.com. About fifteen minutes later someone arrived to rescue us.

When we looked at one of the brochures afterwards, we discovered the museum closes between 1pm and 2pm. Oops! They had obviously forgotten to check whether anyone was still inside before locking up.

Mark announced that while we were waiting he needed the toilet, but I absolutely forbade him from taking advantage of one of the museum displays!

Another unforgettable day, and certainly one we'll be laughing about for a long time.