Langebaan & Tulbagh

It was 5 pm when we left AC Motorhomes in Brackenfell so we decided to find a relatively nearby campsite somewhere up the West Coast. Ufudu’s batteries were heavily ‘taxed’ during all the testing and setting of the electrics and had also not been charged during his stay at Diemerskraal, so Roger decided to charge them off the alternator while driving. We have done this before, so no problem. However, after sorting out the arrival admin at the ‘Ou Skip’ campsite in Melkbosstrand the truck’s starting battery was flat! It took some thought on Roger’s side to work out how to jump-start the truck which is 24 volt. Fortunately the caravan’s 12 volt system has three batteries so he disconnected two from the system and reconnected them in series. I had to bridge the terminals using two spanners while Roger successfully started the truck, as we only have one set of jumper cables! I was rather apprehensive about this but Roger assured me it would be OK and I am still here to tell the story…

The next morning, after a good battery charge, we headed towards Langebaan and the West Coast National Park. We arrived at the southern entrance gate and decided to drive through the Park to Langebaan, finding somewhere picturesque to enjoy lunch along the way. What we had not considered was that this was ‘free entry into National Parks week’ as part of the Heritage Month celebrations! We ended up waiting in a queue at the gate for about half an hour…

The Park is really stunning – especially on a windless sunny day in spring. The bird life, vegetation, flowers and topography are all varied and very interesting. We had lunch at the Atlantic viewpoint while watching whales breaching in the distance. What a treat!

As the West Coast N.P. has no camping sites we spent two nights at the Leentjiesklip Municipal Campsite in Langebaan. As municipal campsites go it was most acceptable and of course the lagoon location is hard to beat. We woke up to overcast, windy and cool conditions and after a short walk on the beach drove back into the Park. It is not without reason that Langebaan is so popular amongst kite-surfers! We decided against the planned short hike and ended up only walking the boardwalks to the bird hides. It was just too miserable out there in the wind!

On Thursday we reluctantly pointed Ufudu eastward on the first leg of our homeward journey and stopped in at Tulbagh for lunch and to visit the museum. Lunch was rather disappointing. We followed the signs to the ‘Paddagang Winehouse’, well-known for its wines and fun setting, to find it under new management. It is now known as the Belgian Kitchen Restaurant. Sadly the Paddagang setup no longer exists but the new owners are still using the Paddagang name and signage to attract custom, while their offering and ambience is totally different (and expensive!). And of course there are no longer Paddagang wines!

We will now be heading towards the last National Park of our trip, the Tankwa Karoo.