Located high on the crest of a hill with the magnificent Drakensberg as its backcloth and views over rolling hills and wide valleys, Three Tree Hill Lodge is an award-winning sustainable tourism destination.

This is also the heart of the famed KwaZulu Natal Battlefields - a region steeped in the history of one of the most dramatic periods in South Africa's past, which saw the fledgling country's future forged in the fires of war.

Owned and run by former safari guides Simon and Cheryl Blackburn, Three Trees is both their family home and their place of work and is dedicated to sharing both the rich and fascinating history of the area around them, and the beauty of the surrounding environment.

Three Trees has become something of a champion of sustainability in South Africa's tourism industry. The lodge is Fair Trade Tourism certified and Simon and Cheryl have gone to great lengths to ensure that their commitment to both people and planet underpins everything they do at the lodge.

From the sourcing of bio-degradable, environmentally friendly detergents and cleaning products, luxury recycled toilet paper and organic produce to a parabolic solar oven, vermiculture and natural composting, the Blackburns have endeavoured to ensure that their impact on the environment is as minimal and sustainable as possible.

One of the major drawcards at Three Trees dominates the view from almost every angle - Spioenkop. This dramatic hill, whose name means "lookout hill" in the local Afrikaans vernacular, was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Anglo Boer war.

Simon is a fully qualified battlefields guide and extraordinary storyteller and shares the emotive tale of the battle of Spioenkop, together with a potted history of South Africa, with his guests on guided tours of Spioenkop.

This terrible battle was fought over the course of just one day from January 23 to January 24 1900, and was one of the most futile and certainly the bloodiest of the four battles fought by the British to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith from the surrounding Boer forces. 

This 24 hours of bloodshed cost the British some 1250 wounded or captured and 243 lives lost and the Boers 335 casualties and 68 dead.

Many of the British who lost their lives were from the Lancashire Fusiliers regiment, with a strong contingent from the city of Liverpool. Most were buried in mass graves in the trenches where they fell. 

In remembrance of the Liverpudlians who lost their lives on Spioenkop, in 1906 the then brand new home supporters terrace at Liverpool Football Club's ground of Anfield  was named The Kop.

It's a battle which involved all of the big military names of the era, from Winston Churchill, who acted as a courier to and from Spioenkop and the nearby British headquarters, to legendary Boer general Louis Botha. 

A young Mohandas Gandhi, later to become one of the world's greatest statesmen, was a stretcher-bearer in the Indian Ambulance Corps he had organised and was decorated for his role in the battle. 

Ultimately, the Boers claimed the victory and the British retreated, gathering their numbers to relieve Ladysmith some four weeks later.

Today Spioenkop is a sombre place, with various crosses and memorials marking the mass graves of victims from both sides, contrasting starkly with breathtakingly beautiful vistas and the distant peaks of the Drakensberg. 

There's lots to do for guests at Three Trees, with mountain bike trails through the surrounding hills and horse riding offering the chance for them to explore the area.

With its stylish lounge and dining room, the lodge is a fitting homage to the fascinating Anglo Boer War period. Books on the war and its chief protagonists on both sides are everywhere, as are mementos and curiosities from this bygone era, from old field glasses to rifles.

Guest suites are dotted in amongst trees on the side of the hill which overlooks Spioenkop and its adjacent game reserve where Simon takes guests on game walks. Located away from the main lodge are Three Trees' two private villas - Churchill's and Kipling's - built ito mimic the colonial style while integrating a completely green energy and water system, keeping the environmental footprint as friendly as possible.

The area is a hiker's, biker's and rider's paradise, with endless trails for walking, mountain biking and horse riding literally on the doorstep.

The Drakensberg, which make up the western horizon of the lodge, are a half-hour drive away, which is perfect for a day trip, complete with a hearty picnic lunch from the lodge.

It's the perfect place for relaxing, kicking back and taking in the wonderful scenery, reading a book or two and watching the amazing birdlife in and around the lodge, which love feeding on the alloes which have become its trademark.

Three Trees works very closely with the local Zulu community at the neighbouring village of Hambrook, which is home to most of their staff, actively contributing to the local economy. 

The lodge is also helping to improve educational facilites in Hambrook, assisting in the upgrading of the classrooms at the village creche, and has become a staunch supporter of programmes which help to empower local women, many of whom  work at the lodge and have become the breadwinners of their families.

And by providing employment and career opportunities to young people from Hambrook, Simon and Cheryl are also encouraging a new generation of future tourism entrepreneurs.