READER STORY
Namakwaland is more than just a flower show
Due to the nature of my work, I occasionally have to do terrain inspections at schools in the Northern Cape, where infrastructure development is taking place.When it was once again time for me to head to Port Nolloth, my wife Marina decided to add a few days to our trip so that we could properly explore Namaqualand. On our previous trip, we had just driven through the area quickly. My trusty Land Cruiser 80 was sick and in the hospital, so we decided to hitch ‘Skilpadtepel’ (tortoise nipple), our bush trailer, behind Marina’s Pajero 3.2 DI-D short-wheel base (which just recently got a tow bar). So we left on a relatively unplanned and spontaneous trip to Namaqualand – myself Jan ‘Draaitjies,’ Marina (Meraai), Pumba (the Pajero) and Skilpadtepel. I had read two of Gert Sarrisam’s books on his childhood years in Namaqualand and really wanted to go to those places – Spoeg River, Groen River, Bulletrap, etc. We prepared meat balls, chicken legs and boiled eggs in seperate packets for each day’s padkos, because we wanted to drive, not waste time with things like stopping for food.
Let rip
We left Kimberley at 05:00 and planned to sleep over in Springbok, fitting in visits to schools at Upington and Lutzburg (Kakamas) in between. At first, it felt a bit strange driving the short wheelbase Pajero with the trailer hitched behind it (it was the first time we were towing with the Mitsubishi), but after about 100 kilometres the cruise control sat comfortably at 120 km/h and everything was going smoothly. We got the work requirements out of the way quickly, made our usual stop at the Pink Padstal at Kakamas, and then it was off to the Pofadder Hotel for the next pitstop and a quick tipple. At 15:00 that afternoon we stopped in Springbok, popped in at the Springbok Hotel (Spies & Plessis’s pub) for a last tipple and then unhitched at the campsite of the Kokerboom Motel just outside of town. It wasn’t flower season
yet, but the daisies were poking their heads up through the dry earth at the campsite.We were pretty tired after our long day’s drive of 800km. The next morning we drove to Matjieskloof, just outside of Springbok, and from there to the Goegab Nature Reserve. What a sight! It was just flowers wherever we looked, and for the first time on this trip I spotted gemsbok and springbok. It’s a beautiful trail. That afternoon we drove to the quiver tree nursery, about 3 km from the motel, and bought ourselves a beautiful little tree to take home to Kimberley. That night was cool, but we were warm in the roof-top tent under a feather duvet we inherited from my father. Our plan for the next day, which was worked out over a braai, was to first drive to Kamieskroon and then head to Goegab.
Along the back roads
We chose a route along a gravel road just east of the N7, a beautiful one that took us right into Kamieskroon. Here we drove through the town a bit and again the flowers were exquisite. After a late breakfast along the N7 we headed back to Springbok on a gravel road just left of the main route.We accidentally missed Skilpad, a part of the Namaqua Park that we wanted to see, (our directions weren’t great) but drove through beautiful farms. Meraai had to open and close farm gates the whole way. There are beautiful trails along the dry riverbed, but here and there you need to know what you’re doing. Pumba’s not afraid of anything, though, and we were back in Springbok in the late afternoon. We packed up, hitched Skilpadtepel and drove to Goegab. It’s a lovely campsite with good ablution facilities where we could wash off the dust from the day before we started a lekker braai. All in all, it was a good day at the office! The following day we headed to Port Nolloth via Bulletrap, but who knew what lay ahead of us? We left early in the morning and took a quick detour via Matjieskloof to enjoy a view across the valley in the direction of Komaggas. En route to Nababeep we took a gravel road to the right and there we found more back roads.
The old mining town of Nababeep is an experience. It may sound strange to say this about a mine, but I’ve never seen such a beautiful mine in my life.We first explored the town, and then it was time to head to Bulletrap.We drove out the back end of Nababeep on a gravel road, and about 20 or 30 kilometres later we reached the N7 again. Shortly after this we came across the turn-off for Nigramoep/Bulletrap and turned left off the road. This trail is not for sensitive drivers. The easier route is via Steinkopf and from there to Port Nolloth – all on tar. We eventually reached Bulletrap, but these days the town consists of nothing more than the municipality and a big purple house. And then the sports began! The good gravel road that was still displayed on some maps didn’t exist anymore.We drove past Nigramoep’s airfield and at the bottom of the valley we found a mine that is no longer operational. Later the trail became nothing more than a twin track, and I said to Meraai that at some point we were going to get stuck, but I wasn’t ready to give up at that time of day! About 3 km further my prediction came true when we came across a gate with a cattle grid and a boom, which was locked. “Meraatjie, we’re going to need a spanner,” I said to my wife. Out came the toolbox and in a jiffy we were through and the gate was locked again. It appeared that the road was no longer used as a tourist route, because at this point we were trespassing on a farmer’s property. Luckily we saw a house and decided to go ask for forgiveness. But there was no trace of any humanity. Oh well, onwards and upwards we went!
To Namaqualand
After the R355 the road was badly flooded, and with Skilpadtepel behind us it took us about 30 minutes to drive the last 5km to reach the primary gravel road. Lekker! We reached Port Nolloth in the late afternoon and shot through to McDougall’s Bay.That night we stayed in a cottage, no camping for us, we were exhausted. The following day I showed Meraai Port Nolloth’s harbour and the town, and we stopped at a rusted yellow steam train in the harbour.When I wanted to switch Pumba on, he stuttered badly. Solenoid, I thought to myself while it ticked away, but then suddenly there was life.We drove down to the old harbour to buy some fish and crayfish and again when I tried to start the car, but I got no results. Luckily for us, Pieter Dam, the local mechanic, was home. He fiddled with the solenoid and got Pumba going again, but said we couldn’t continue driving it in this condition. At Speedy Exhaust they sell everything from panties to plough sheers, but no Pajero solenoids. I was told it would take four days to get it up from Cape Town. But Pieter made a plan, and four hours later we were on the road again, well on our way to Hondeklip Bay and the Namaqua National Park! Grootmis and Kleinzee whizzed past and we popped in to visit Veronica van Dyk at Die Houthoop guest farm, just a little left of the road to Komaggas. This is a must-do overnight stop if you do drive this route in the flower season. We drove past Koingnaas and Hondeklip Bay and turned left again, heading inland to the Namaqua National Park.We booked two campsites next to each other so that we could be alone. This is succulent country and we saw the most beautiful varieties – from purple to pink, yellow and white.You don’t have to come during flower season to see this spectacle either. The following day we filled up with diesel in Kamies, hitched Skilpadtepel on the way back and aimed for the Groen River mouth. Today was “piggy day”. There was no sunshine to heat our shower bags and the campsites only had VIP toilets. The weather was too cold to bath in the sea, so we just skipped a day of ablutions and made it tomorrow’s problem.
Bitterly cold but beautiful
It was rainy and the weather was miserable and cold, but we drove through the
most beautiful countryside on the way to the Groen River mouth.The succulents along the road were lovely and I struggled to keep Meraai in the car. She just wanted to stop for photos all the time. At the gate we encountered Piet and Mariaan Schreuder, two park officials. In 2012 they adopted a jackal and bottlefed it until it was grown up. “Jakkels” has been returned to the veld, but still comes visiting sometimes. Piet showed me the road to the river mouth.There were slippery salt pans somewhere along the route and we’d have to turn left when we reached them, into the interior and through the gate. Pumba ran smoothly over the wet sad, but it was cold and unpleasant when we stopped for brunch.The wind was blowing a gale off the sea and it was raining! Soon after, we hit the salt pans. Pumba was still in two-wheel drive and I changed over to four-wheel drive just in time. I whipped him and we just made it through the pans, but that was where we were supposed to turn inland and we’d passed it! We finally ended up at the Namaqua Sands mine and reached the tar road. It was still raining, but now we first had to pump the tyres before we could hit the road to Nuwerus to fill up with fuel in Bitterfontein. Pumba was thirsty and the sun was already sitting low. At Bitterfontein they first had to get the generator going to put diesel in our vehicle. Meraai called Loeriesfontein to see if we could spend the night. I warned her that we would have to drive a wet gravel road in the dark, but her answer was “Go big or go home” and so we hit the road again. We reached Loeriesfontein at about 20:00, and tonight was definitely a cottage night. The hotel was actually closed, and their telephone number directed us to the guest house. It was very cold but we managed to get a room. At the restaurant the railway contractors were “working” after hours in the pub (I think they were after the bar girl) and at the lapa a client was quietly braaiing his own meat! That’s just how things work up in Loeriesfontein. The next morning, after looking around town a bit, we hit the tar road to Calvinia. Coincidently the Hantam Vleisfees was happening at the same time (see, Draaitjies and Meraai actually planned quite well).We spent the following two days camping at the municipal campsite and ate our fill of sosaties, lamb chops and platrib – ribs that have been braaied between two hot, flat stones. In the evenings we danced to the beat of the Klipwerf Boereorkes as the reeds swayed along. But we had to head home eventually. Early on Sunday morning we started our homeward journey.There was still about 550 km between us and Kimberley, and we wanted to fit in an afternoon nap before the new week began.
Plan your own journey to see Namaqualand in flower season. If you leave it too late the accommodation options will be full. In Drive Out #92 we show you a good gravel route.