Ladysmith is right at the centre of what we call "The Battlefields" region. So much of our history played out here - the Voortrekkers and their conflicts with the Zulu, the British and their battles with the Zulu, and then this area was pivotal in both conflicts between the British Empire and the Boer Republics. The N11 branches off the N3 (Johannesburg to Durban) at Ladysmith and then traverses the Drakensberg escarpment through Newcastle, Ermelo, Middelburg and then takes you right up to Groblersbrug on the border with Botswana.