In 2008 we decided to start slowing down the pace of our life, and bought a dilapidated 20 hectare farm just outside Napier, hoping to ease out of the city, and spend more and more time on the farm. Since buying the farm we have done loads of renovations to the buildings, introduced animals and begun to have guests stay at the farm and enjoy it with us.

It’s a small, but diverse working farm: we have a flock of sheep, farmed for wool and lamb; we offer stabling for horses and donkeys (to owners in Cape Town who want to rest their horses, and who prefer a more open, free-range-style of stabling); then we have the self-catering cottages, where friends and guests can enjoy the slow pace of life with us. The farm is not quite yet totally self sufficient, so we still both work in Cape Town during the week, with an eye to reducing this time as we build up other small businesses on the farm.

When thinking about a name for the farm, we realised that corporate life in Cape Town had become increasingly stressful for us – as is probably true for a lot of others. We wanted to chose a name that was pertinent to the stage we were in, and thought that “Journey’s Rest” captured that well… not the end of the Journey, just a peaceful place to recharge after the hustle and bustle, queues, rush hour traffic and work stress.

We hope that you’ll also find rest here on your journey.