Suikerbossie, the municipal caravan park in Bredasdorp, was deserted when we arrived there in the late afternoon. We pulled in nevertheless and made ourselves comfortable. A phone call and several attempts during the next two days did not produce much more than a promise of a presence at the office but just before we left 2 days later somebody eventually showed up to collect our money!
Bredasdorp was established in 1838 and is known as the first settlement in South Africa to use the term ‘dorp’. It is also home to the historic Shipwreck Museum, and that was where we headed the next morning. The coast between Danger Point near Gansbaai and Witsand on the Breede River mouth has become the graveyard of more than 130 ships and the museum houses many of the recovered relics.
It was a rather drizzly and cold day so after the museum visit we headed out to see what Napier is all about. Napier is a very laid-back little town and some of its restaurants even displayed ‘Closed for Winter’ outside their entrances.
A small sign ‘Toy Boats’ caught Roger’s attention. An elderly gentleman called Alan builds miniature metal ships which are powered by simple ‘Pop-up’ engines. These ‘engines’ consist of a thin copper tube connected to a thin copper ‘boiler’ over a candle and were popular toys in Victorian times. The Boiler is made from two thin copper sheets forming a type of diaphragm which pulses as steam is produced. A pulsing jet of steam out the copper tube propels the boat and also creates a popping noise. The path up to Alan’s property was too steep so I remained snug in the car.
We decided to have lunch at the Napier Farm Stall. It was a good decision. There was a wood burning stove inside, the atmosphere was friendly and the food was excellent; there is nothing like home-made soup and home baked bread on a cold winter’s day.
By now it was so cold that all we could think of was getting back to Ufudu to sit under the down duvet! This is where the rest of the afternoon was spent, writing up the previous post and reading our books.
We left Bredasdorp the next morning and headed towards the De Hoop Nature Reserve. The road meandered through wheat and sweat potato fields and we had a most enjoyable drive. It was still overcast but the number of birds we saw was amazing. Large flocks of Blue Cranes, Great White Pelicans, African Spoonbills, Yellow-billed Ducks, to mention just a few. All these birds seemed quite at home amongst the domestic stock!
By the time we arrived at De Hoop Nature Reserve the weather had cleared and things were looking bright indeed. As is normal after a cold front, we were expecting a few good days. Our campsite was perched on a steep bank overlooking the extensive ‘Vlei’, a brackish expanse of water that formed when the mouth of the Sout River was blocked by the emergence of estuarine sandbars, creating a landlocked coastal lake. The Cape Robin-chats, Southern Boubous, Fiscal Flycatchers and Cape Bulbuls in camp were very tame and inquisitive, allowing one to approach to within touching distance!
We again sat on Ufudu’s roof and enjoyed the sunset. It cannot be denied that the enjoyment of a fine day is definitely enhanced if it is preceded by grey, rainy days! However, as soon as the sun set, the cold descended (it is winter after all) and a fire was called for.
Early the next morning we were visited by a Small Grey (Cape) Mongoose. We had noticed a midden and assume that the campsite is part of his territory.
We thoroughly enjoyed De Hoop. It somehow reminded us of the Ngoro-Goro Crater; there were big herds of animals everywhere and all seemed rather relaxed, except the sunbirds! Even the baboons were minding their own business without making a nuisance of themselves! It is certainly one of the more unspoilt places we have visited so far and deserving of being a World Heritage Site.
And don’t forget the little ones…
Early on our last day we went down to a point called ‘Koppie Alleen’. It is on the beach and is especially interesting during low tide when one can see all the interesting organisms that live in the inter-tidal zone. En route we noticed that the puddles in the road were iced over! The supervisor of a team of road repair workers confirmed this was rather exceptional. He claims that in 30 years they have never seen the likes of it!
It was rather a long walk down to the beach and I would not have been able to make it if Roger hadn’t noticed that the chain locking the gate could be lifted over the fence post. With the gate open we were able to drive down the road to the board walk. It was wonderful to be on the beach again. While we were there we saw a whale breach in the distance and watched it surface a few times. There were also dolphins moving past in the breakers. The weather was wonderful, sunny and windless.
Before we left we did a short loop with Suzi through an area that was wall-to-wall Proteas. The flowers and birds were so plentiful that we felt overwhelmed. But sadly the sunbirds never allowed us to get close enough for a decent photograph.
If I tell you that we only left the reserve at 3 in the afternoon you may believe me that we left reluctantly; we thoroughly enjoyed our stay …
Luckily Witsand (our next stop) was only about 50 km away and the ferry over the Breede River at Malgas operates till 6pm.