The History of Pennington

Pennington is a tranquil sea-side village situated 50 minutes South of Durban with all the necessary facilities nearby. The village is named after the Pennington family, who were wagon builders that immigrated from England and began farming sugar cane and cattle in the area near the end of the 19th century. Pennington has superb beaches, safe tidal pools and lovely little bays which make this coastal village a great holiday destination for families and is a popular spot for fishermen and golfers or simply sit back, relax and watch the spectacle of whales and dolphins from the Lodge as they journey by.

Sir Frank Reynolds, a sugar magnate, bought a section of Pennington from the Pennington family and named his country home Lynton Hall. He established it largely to preserve the indigenous fauna and flora and built an 18-hole golf course for employees, farmers and local residents he named it Umdoni Park after the local Umdoni tree. The Umdoni Park golf course has become a golfers and bird-watcher’s paradise with scenic winding hiking and cycle trails thru indigenous forest. Pennington is also home to the Selborne Golf Estate which has an 18-hole golf course rated one of the top 100 courses in Southern Africa.

Frank Reynolds also built a seaside residence in 1920 for the country’s prime minister and named it Botha House in honour of General Louis Botha. Ironwood Loge is conveniently positioned within 2km of both Umdoni & Selborne Golf Courses.

Other than the 2 prestigious golf courses Pennington has many attractions in the area, some of which are:

• Scenic hiking routes through the Umdoni Park nature reserve and enjoy a picnic by the waterfall.
• Cycle through Umdoni forest or sugar cane fields on Ellingham estate at Rocky Bay
• Fishing on the beach or charter a boat and fish deep sea
• Shark cage diving nearby at Rocky Bay OR Scuba dive off Aliwal Shoal
• Restaurants and Tea gardens

Further South – 45 minutes from Ironwood Lodge:

• Oribi Gorge – hiking trails and stunning views from the suspension bridge – Wild Gorge Swing off the edge of Lehr’s falls
• Lake Eland Game Reserve set in the Oribi Gorge perfect for day trips and picnics, offers zip lining and scooter rides alongside Giraffe, buck and other small game.

Further North – 50 minutes from Ironwood Lodge:

• Vernon Crookes nature Reserve – Contains an abundance of bird life, Bushbuck, Red duiker, and Zebra. There are designated picnic spots.
• UShaka Marine World – Durban is a world class theme park and aquarium designed around a shipwreck with Dolphin shows daily, restaurants and adventure parks.

If you are looking for a rustic, family and pet friendly Bed & Breakfast in Pennington Ironwood Lidge is perfect for holiday makers and business travel. You can also book securely online. For more information visit our website: www.ironwoodlodge/activities Telephone: 084 575 1895 Email: bookings@ironwoodlodge.co.za