GARDEN ROUTE
A strange and lonesome break
Summer holidays by the sea have always been, for me, anyway, the taste of fish and chips – they may not be objectively better than the equivalents served up in Joburg, but the salt sea air seems to sharpen the appetite.
The fresh breeze blowing off the vast Wilderness beach was the perfect complement to the perfect fish and chips at Salina’s restaurant.
But looking out on the vast stretch of perfect beach sand on a perfect day for tanning and swimming, there was just one group of living things I could see – a bunch of seagulls pecking listlessly. No surprise, given that, in the two hours we sat there, three different police vehicles pulled into the parking lot below to see if they could spot any dangerous law breakers. The positive side to it was that I wouldn’t have to tip them as car guards, however…
Our fortnight on the Garden
Route was stranger than any of the dozen or more trips we’ve done there in the past 15 years. That’s because, thanks to Covid, all the beaches were out of bounds.
A few days later, enjoying another plate of fish and chips at the Ski Boat Club in Plettenberg Bay with old friends Roger and Meg Houghton, they recounted the story of a Joburg man who went down to the Cape for Christmas, towing both family and boat.
The day they got there, we were told at Cyril’s regular “family meeting” that beaches were verboeten. So, the next day, the man turned around and headed home.
My sister-in-law, who runs a tour operation in Knysna, said many up-country people had cancelled their trips and the town was quieter than she had yet seen it over what should be the busiest part of the year.
Fortunately, my wife and I are at the stage of our lives where we no longer have to tolerate “are we there yet?” from the car back seat – or endure skin-frying hours on a beach after which no amount of showering gets rids of the sand particles which find their way into all your nooks and crannies.
Also, staying once again in the Knysna area, we already knew it as possibly one of the best holiday places in South Africa, because of the diversity of things to do and visit within easy reach.
Luckily, we had started off on the right “get away from it all” foot by booking into a AirBnB cottage in the forests and farmlands on the way to the settlement of Rheenen
dal, about 20km outside Knysa.
In host Caron’s Taaibos Cottage (and its adjacent Sagewood cottage) we perched over a ravine in the indigenous forest which was, thankfully, spared the ravages of the fires which devastated large parts of the Garden Route in 2017.
Not seeing a single sign of the presence of humans brings with it a sense of peace – and for me, incredulity that people would want to clamour together in caravan parks and seaside flats just to be close to the ocean.
Up in the hills overlooking Knysna, the climate is also different, as is the vegetation: apart from the afro-montane forests, there are plantations of pine all around, giving way to almost alpine like flora at the really high altitudes.
A favourite trip of mine in visits past has been to the top of Spitskop, the highest point in the Knysna area which is part of the forestry department’s vast holdings.
The single track, bumpy route to the top has been deteriorating over the years and, although you could probably still do it in a two-wheeldrive vehicle, you’d be happier in 4x4 with good ground clearance.
In a Ford Everest SUV, the journey to the top was a walk in the park.
The destination was, because of the unusual sunny day, well worth the trip – it offered a 360 degreee view of mountains, forest and, in the distance, the sea. And there was no-one else there so I could enjoy the solitude and the beauty.
And that is the key to enjoying the Garden Route: if you can’t swim, then the vast and beautiful indigenous afro-montane forests, along with their pine plantation cousins, offer plenty of interesting drives, walks and, for the more adventurous mountain bike trails.
We meandered along one in the indigenous forest, which is called “Circles in the Forest”, after Dalene Mathee’s famous book.
It was cool and calm – well, apart from the moment when my wife startled me after noticing a snake in the leaf litter on the forest floor. It went in seconds into the branches of one of the trees and, having got a good look at it, I urged her to hurry on. You don’t want to mess with a boomslang…
Driving through the forests, especially along the Seven Passes Road between Knysna and George, and gazing into deep, thickly treed ravines gives you an idea about why the legends of the elephants of the Garden still persist. You could lose a whole herd in there and not notice.
Some years ago, hikers found the wreck of an aircraft which went missing decades earlier and was swallowed up dense trees on impact.
The amazing Tsitsikamma National Park was still open and taking day visitors and, because it is just under 100km from Knysna, it made a good day outing. Because of the Covid restrictions, the park’s small beaches are closed, as is the spectacular suspension bridge across the Storms River mouth … but you can still snorkel or paddle in the deeper rock pools.
If you’re feeling strong, you can walk the first 2 or 3km of the Otter Trail from the Storms River camp – and swim in the big natural pool at the turn round point of the day walk. Unsurprisingly, we noticed that many of the wooden bungalows in the rest camp were empty and the caravan and camp sites were comparatively open.
A night in the wooden bungalows is something we have done on a few occasions, although these days, I would advise booking a unit too close to the river mouth – because SANParks has erected an ugly tent-like construction as temporary accommodation for the restaurant. It totally spoils what should be a magnificent view.
There were still permitted adventure activities available when we were there which, apparently, didn’t fall foul of Covid regs. You still go paragliding outside Wilderness, learn how to scuba dive in Plettenberg Bay and get the basics of kayaking at Storms River Mouth.
And, if you really feel you’d like to forget all about Covid and its rules, let fear crowd out everything else – and do the bungy jump from the Bloukrans Bridge on the N2, not far from Plett…
If you’re feeling strong, you can walk the first 2 or 3km of the Otter Trail