Bathurst is the Eastern Cape's very own English Village, and is situated halway between Port Alfred and Grahamstown. This historical town was founded in 1820 and is named after Lord Bathurst, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies at the time. Bathurst was originally meant to be the administrative capital for the 1820 settlers but Grahamstown took this job instead. Visit the Bathurst Agricultural Museum with more than 1300 historical agricultural items on display. Nearby is Bradshaw's Mill, driven by a waterwheel and constructed in 1821 as a mill to make a coarse cloth with wool from the local sheep farmers.

Accommodation at the Pig and Whistle Hotel, a national monument built in 1831 and arguably South Africa's oldest pub was once known as the Bathurst Inn. Just around the corner is another old pub, the Bathurst Arms. St John's Anglican Church is the oldest unaltered Anglican church in South Africa and was a sanctuary to hundreds of settlers during the Frontier Wars. In the old part of the village, which is known locally as Monkey Town, is a Powder Magazine with a domed ceiling that dates back to 1821. If in the area in summer make sure you go to the annual Ox braai on 29th December. Normally in March is the Bathurst Agricultural Show.