A quiet December holiday

We had planned to go camping in the Garden Route during the December holidays, and our children, Ruan and Nadia Pieterse, with their little one, Ava, would also have joined. They came to visit us in Durbanville all the way from Pretoria, but they also wanted to go to sea. Unfortunately, the Garden Route was identified as a COVID-19 hotspot at the time. We therefore decided to cancel our arrangements. But we still wanted to be close to the ocean and decided on the West Coast. We decided on the northern section where you can camp ‘wild’, far away from others. Of course, we had to take everything with us: water, ice, solar power… and that’s okay, our off-road caravan is equipped with a solar panel. Our plan was to spend Christmas at home and leave early on the morning of the 28th. Coincidentally, all beaches except those in the Northern Cape were closed. Fortunately, you could still fish, so we took our fishing gear and permits with us. The caravan was packed: tent, gazebo, as much water as possible (plus ice), gas and groceries. We had 600 km to cover to get to Brand se Baai and the last 100 km of dirt road was quite challenging. We arrived late afternoon and looked for a sheltered stand, because the wind can sometimes get quite hectic along the coast. Our nearest neighbours were 2 km away; so we had an entire stretch of coastline all to ourselves. There was no cellphone reception either. We enjoyed the experience thoroughly, had many conversations, played, rested, read, sunbathed and enjoyed fantastic meals. We managed seven days on the water we had, but the ice and milk ran out. Therefore, it was time to pack up, though we were reluctant to return home. As soon as I got cellphone reception along the way, I started searching for another available campsite… and would you believe it, the first seven campsites I called were all full! Eventually, we found a spot at Blinkwater on the other side of Citrusdal. We first replenished supplies at Vredendal, then spent another three days at Blinkwater, this time on lovely grass. The pool was equally welcome as it felt as though the mercury rose above 40 ºC. We felt privileged to still be able to camp responsibly and safely in these unnatural times, and to enjoy a ‘normal’ sea holiday. It was good for body and soul. MARTIN AND NERINA LE ROUX Durbanville