Blanerne is an extensive beef and game farm that has been owned by the Mitchell-Innes family since 1863. The present farm house was built in 1960 and offers spacious and comfortable accommodation and luxurious living. Ian & Pam Mitchell-Innes welcome you to their home as guests for a wonderful experience of colonial living. The house is filled with antiques and treasures of past and present. Situated in the heart of the Natal Battlefields Route, Blanerne is a perfect base from which to explore the Anglo Zulu or Anglo Boer War Battlefields. Tour guides can be arranged and are highly recommended. Directly on the N11 between Newcastle and Ladysmith, Blanerne is also well placed for the traveler driving from the Mpumalanga Game Parks to the Drakensberg, Durban or the Cape. Blanerne is 3 hours driving from Johannesburg International Airport and makes a great start for International travellers who want an immediate escape from Johannesburg.

Spend a couple of days with hosts, lazing around and enjoying the abundant birdlife in the garden. An extensive library covering many topics, including many books on the Zulu & Boer Wars, will ensure that you never lack for reading material. Accommodation is in two family suites each consisting of two bedrooms sharing a full bathroom. The downstairs suite opens up with French doors to the pool and pergola and the rooms upstairs have wonderful views of the garden. All bedrooms have tea and coffee trays, radios, mohair blankets, down pillows, electric blankets, heaters, hairdryers and dressing gowns. Enjoy the tranquility of large garden while sipping cold drinks around the marble table under the Wisteria covered pergola next to the swimming pool, or in winter join us for pre dinner drinks in the elegant Drawing Room in front of a roaring fire.
Hosts offer dinner which is served in the Colonial Dining Room that offers a formal experience while chatting to your hosts and getting to know other travellers - a wonderful place to exchange experiences and information. Ian is a Holistic Management Educator and is bound to regale you with stories of Holistic Farming and lifestyle. He is also a beef master Cattle Breeder and welcomes farmers from all corners of the earth.