If things have been a little quieter than usual on the Beer Troopy front, there’s a good reason. Over the past few months, while we should have been making noise about the Beer Passport and the 2026 Map and Challenge, we’ve been caught up in something entirely different. Something unexpected. Something that has changed the shape of our journey.
Beer Troopy has found a new home.
Not a polished studio. Not a shiny headquarters.
A forty-year-old, fire-damaged beach cottage in Salt Rock on KwaZulu-Natal’s Dolphin Coast.
The sort of place you would drive past without a second glance. Weather-beaten. Smoke-stained. Half-hidden in coastal bush. But if you stop long enough, you begin to feel it. A quiet strength in the walls. A story waiting to be picked up again.
And somehow, this little forgotten cottage felt exactly right.
A Cottage with a Story
Old Garlandfield cottage began its life in the early 1980s, built by my favourite high school teacher, Mr Greve, during his long leave. Together with his wife Anita, he planted an indigenous forest around the house and the small stream that still winds through the property today.
Decades of storms have pushed at the windows. Fire has left its mark on the beams. The bush has crept in, trying to claim it back. Yet the structure stands firm, refusing to give up.
There is something about that resilience that echoes the Beer Troopy story. A journey that has taken knocks, changed direction, adapted, and kept going with heart and purpose.
The Name That Found Us
The cottage had no formal name when we arrived. Then, one afternoon, we noticed a weathered sign nearby with the words “Garland Road” painted on it.
Garland.
It stopped us in our tracks. It was the surname of Brenda’s grandmother, GG Garland, whose family first settled in what is now Verulam. GG had her own beach cottage not far from here, and Brenda and I have fond memories of beach weekend’s with granny. The same salty air. The same wild coastal bush. The same sense of escape.
Naming our new home Old Garlandfield felt inevitable.
A bridge between generations.
A nod to where we come from and a reminder that new beginnings often grow from deep roots.
Basecamp
Beer Troopy has spent years on the road, visiting forgotten villages, discovering local legends, and mapping out the places that make South Africa special. But even the most seasoned traveller needs a basecamp.
Old Garlandfield is becoming that place.
Right now it is all peeling paint, exposed beams, and long to-do lists. But slowly, with care and more than a little sweat, the old house is being brought back to life. Not polished. Not perfect. Just honest and full of purpose.
This will be our creative headquarters.
A place where stories are written.
Where maps are shaped.
Where new ideas take form before the next journey begins.
In time, it may even become a small gathering place for tastings, collaborations, or intimate meetups with makers and travelling friends. The kind of space where conversations stretch into the evening and adventures are plotted for the morning.
Our first visitors
Old Garlandfield is far from ready to welcome guests, yet somehow it managed to do exactly that.
A few weeks ago, a Swiss couple, Michael and Jasmin, pulled up in their Troopy. They were about to begin the long drive home across Africa and Europe. Dusty from the road and smiling like old friends, they rolled in as though they had been here before.
We stood together under the trees Mr Greve planted, shared stories, swapped maps, and watched the late afternoon light soften over the sea.
Their visit felt like a quiet blessing on this new beginning.
A reminder that Beer Troopy has always been about connection.
Travellers meeting travellers. Stories meeting stories.
You can read more about their African journey here:
Troopys Unite: A Swiss Mission from Durban Across Africa
Looking Ahead
Old Garlandfield is still rough around the edges. There are broken windows to fix, walls to sand, and entire rooms waiting for attention. But the bones are good, the light is beautiful, and the sea breeze still finds its way inside.
Soon, this place will be the creative heart of Beer Troopy.
A home for storytellers, travellers, makers, and the occasional Troopy rolling in from far away.
A landmark on a journey that continues to surprise us.
Welcome to Old Garlandfield.
Built with heart. Weathered by time. Ready for what comes next.
So, What’s Next?
Between sanding walls and chasing electricians, we’re still pushing full steam ahead on the 2026 Map & Challenge – get yours here.
It’s shaping up beautifully — connecting more breweries, pubs, and small-town legends than ever before.
But this season, our story’s expanding — not just on the map, but in real life too.
So if you’ve been wondering where we’ve been, now you know:
We’ve been building a new home for Beer Troopy — one brick, one dream, and one very long to-do list at a time.
Old Garlandfield Cottage
Driving up to the cottage one afternoon, we noticed the word “Garland Road” painted on a weathered sign.
It stopped us in our tracks.
It was the name of Brenda’s grandmother — Gigi Garland — whose family first settled in what’s now Verulam, and who had her own beach cottage not far from here. Brenda still remembers visiting her Gigi’s cottage as a little girl: the same salt air, the same wild coastal bush, the same sense of escape.
It felt right — inevitable, even — to name our new home Old Garlandfield.
It’s not just a name.
It’s a bridge between generations — a nod to where we come from, and to the field of possibilities that lies ahead.
Right now, it’s still rough around the edges — weather-beaten, smoke-stained, half hidden by the bush.
But the bones are good.
There’s light filtering through the broken windows, and the sea breeze still finds its way inside.
Soon, this place will be more than a renovation project.
It’ll be our basecamp — the creative heart of Beer Troopy.
A space where stories are written, maps are sketched, and the next adventures begin.
Welcome to Old Garlandfield
The nice thing about Troopys is that you carry your home on your back.
And while Old Garlandfield isn’t quite ready to welcome visitors just yet, it somehow found a way to do so anyway.
A few weeks ago, Michael and Jasmin pulled up in their Swiss Troopy — just days before setting off on the long drive back to Europe. Dusty from the road, sunburnt and smiling, they rolled in like old friends — the kind of people you somehow feel you’ve known for years.
We shared stories under the trees that Mr. Greve once planted, swapped maps, and stood together watching the light fade over the sea.
Their visit felt symbolic — like a quiet blessing on this new beginning.
Because that’s what this place is meant to be:
A stop along the way.
A home for travellers, storytellers, and fellow Troopy souls — wherever the road takes them next.
Michael and Jasmin’s route is one for the books — from 🇿🇦 South Africa to 🇲🇿 Mozambique → 🇲🇼 Malawi → 🇹🇿 Tanzania → 🇧🇮 Burundi → 🇰🇪 Kenya → 🇺🇬 Uganda → 🇦🇴 Angola → 🇳🇬 Nigeria → 🇬🇭 Ghana — before heading home to Europe along one of the most challenging routes through West Africa.
Read more about their journey here → https://beertroopy.com/troopys-unite-a-swiss-mission-from-durban-across-africa/
Old Garlandfield, Salt Rock — the new home of Beer Troopy.
Built with heart. Weathered by time. Ready for what comes next.