The South Coast’s golden oldies
The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal offers a perfect place from the cold winter. Aim east and stretch your summer a little longer!
The winter months are synonymous with a number of things: aloes bloom for Africa, and if you want to make biltong, now is the time… But it’s a different matter when you want to go camping. Water freezes in taps in the middle of the country, and it’s rainy season in the Cape. The Kruger National Park is a great option because the bush is less dense and animals head to the water holes, but it is also the busiest season and there is only so much space. For a more pleasant climate in the colder months, very few places beat KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast. It is a sevenhour drive from Gauteng and Bloemfontein, so it will take you only a day to get away from winter. There is, of course, an oversupply of campsites here. In the roughly 150 km between Durban and the Wild Coast, there are easily 35 caravan parks to choose from. About an hour south of Durban, you meet two old favourites. We pop in at Mac Nicol’s and Scottburgh caravan parks.
MAC NICOL’S CARAVAN PARK Golden anniversary
The famous 111 km railway line between Durban and Port Shepstone, which was completed in 1907, divides resorts along this coast into two groups: there are those by the sea and, across the railway line, the rest are inland. Mac Nicol’s gate is 130 m from the beach, and the train track runs between the gate and the beach. This is a special year for the Mac Nicol family, as it marks 50 years of being in the camping industry. The first campsite they acquired was Ifafa Caravan Park. Next came Mac Nicol’s as we know it today. The resort was also a pioneer in terms of layout, because when the family bought in 1983 – until then it was known as Hi-Lee – some sites already had private bathrooms. These days, more and more campsites build private facilities on stands from the outset. There are just over 120 stands, and they’re divided into nine groups. Have a look at their website where you can see what they all look like. This includes a map of the resort that shows where the campsite groups fits into the larger resort, plus a description of these sites and a summary of the nearest bathrooms. Very informative. THE RECEPTION and shop are next to each other directly after you’ve passed through the gate, and from here the resort runs to the left around a small hill right up to the Ifafa lagoon. The shop is what you’d expect from one in a typical seaside resort: you’ll find everything from general groceries, such as rice, tomato sauce, eggs and soft drinks to ice cream, sweets and beach balls. Drinks – and even hard liquor – are also for sale here. The first group of eight stands is just past the office. They’re laid out back to back and are the ones with the private amenities. The stands are demarcated with fences of high shrubs that make it fairly private, even though your neighbours are nearby. Compared to the rest of the resort’s stands, these are some of the smallest, but they’re still spacious enough for a towing vehicle and mid-size caravan with its tent. Mac Nicol’s has a multitude of shade trees, but they’re sparse in this group of
stands. So you’re responsible for your own shade here. Your bathroom building has two rooms: the shower stall, toilet and basin are in the one, and the sink for dishes next to it. A gas geyser supplies the hot water. The power point is toward the back corner of the stand and uses a standard three-point household plug. PAST THE PRIVATE stands, the road veers to the right, with the rest of the stands following on from here. The first ones are laid out on several terraces with the wonderful trees providing shade, it’s reminiscent of a tropical garden. Some stands also have shrub fences. These 40 odd stands are part of the original caravan park the Mac Nicol family acquired. The grass is lush where the trees don’t give too much shade, but obviously the grass is not quite as thick in the sections that get less sun. The Lagoon and the Froggy Pond stands are diagonally behind the second group of stands and they are more in the open. There are also terraces, grass and trees, and your power point (each seem to serve two to four stands) plus a rubbish bin is nearby. There aren’t many taps, but they have a one metre square trough to prevent muddy pits forming.
The stands higher up have fewer shade trees, which means the grass is beautiful
If you drive straight ahead from the gate, you’ll get to the six large stands just in front of the play park with its two trampolines and a jungle gym, swings and a slide. These are the stands belonging to the Mango Valley and Stream sites. Keep following the road, and it runs past the back of the Lagoon sites to the lagoon. There’s another playground here: a wooden jungle gym and a volleyball court on sand. Several canoes await paddlers on the shore. You can rent paddles from the security guard for R20. The eight stands of River View are laid out next to the Lagoon sites. Just past the trampolines, a road on the right leads up the hill to the farthest stands: Fish Eagle. These are also the newest ones laid out on high terraces in 2000. Most of them seem to use the blue electric sockets. The stands higher up have fewer shade trees, which means the grass is beautiful and lush. These taps don’t have a concrete trough, but the grass is so dense you won’t need to worry about puddles.
The lower stands closer to the water boast more trees for shade, and just past the lower end is a wooden deck right next to the water. Here you’ll find some built-in braai areas with grids for socialising right by the water. THERE ARE LOADS OF ablution facilities right throughout the resort. Two of them are at the Fish Eagle stands. Their shower cubicles are huge and you have a bench to sit down as well. The top of the basin is a tad low – around mid-thigh – but there’s plenty of space for toiletries and the like. There’s a laundry with a washing machine and tumble dryer in the middle of the building. These work with tokens that are available at the shop for R20. The bathrooms at Lagoon are larger, with more amenities, including a laundry. A little bit along is another building with two doors marked, one for men and one for women. One has a bath and the other a shower, and there is also a laundry. The older part has the larger amenities. The two pools lie between the original stands and the Lagoon ones. One of them is shallow enough for children, and the deeper one is heated, even this time of year. There is also a lapa and some braai areas should you want to relax here. The large gate in front of the resort is closed, but if you want to walk to the beach, you use the small gate inside the bigger one. That one is closed but not locked. The security guards keep an eye on it, and during our visit, there were lifeguards on the beach.
SCOTTBURGH CARAVAN PARK
Beached
Scottburgh was the first town to be established south of Durban, and in 1964 it got his own municipality. The town’s economy rely on two anchors: sugar cane and tourism. The Scottburgh Caravan Park is considered one of the most popular resorts on the South Coast. It’s the opposite to Mac Nicol’s. Scottburgh stretches almost 800 m down the beach, and the railway line runs past the top of the resort. Yet, even though the caravan park has its “own” beach on its doorstep, we didn’t see that many people walking to the beach from the campsite. Keen to check where the stands are before you book? Also check out the map on the resort’s website. It gives you a good idea of the layout. We camped here for just the one night, and about half the place was occupied – so there was no need to book in advance. As we check in, the one receptionist tells us there’s a strong wind coming, and we should rather choose a stand to the right of the road as you come into the resort. This was great advice, because on the left we’d have been closer to the sea and more in the open… and, of course, at the mercy of the wind. We also get a list of available stands to look at before we make a final decision. There is even a concise description for each one: “No shade, near playground”, “Banana trees on front right”, “Afternoon shade, slight sea view”, “No shade, next to pool, no sea view” and so on. At reception, after checking in, you get a voucher to show at the Scotties Tea Garden, next to stand 27, to get a free coffee, tea or soft drink. The campers who got here before us have armoured themselves against the wind with all sorts of storm ropes and cargo nets… they’re ready for it. One
camper, in “Seewinde Laan” (the stands facing the beach), even created his own windmills from plastic cool-drink bottles. Diagonally behind them, someone hoisted a faded windsock. Seewinde Laan appears to be the place to be when you look at how the campers line up here. There is only a road and a sparse lane of trees between you and the beach. There’s no security fence, but there are notice boards on the beach side that forbid access. Judging by the campers who leave their bikes in the open here, there don’t seem to be problems with thieving. Security guards are on duty here day and night, after all. Keep to the right if you want to shelter from the wind – all along the campsite’s border on the right are decent large trees with plenty of shade that also protect you from the sun. Closer to the sea there are trees, but they aren’t as big. THE STANDS are well signposted. Find the number on the roadside or on the power boxes. The power box has your plug point (normal household socket) as well as TV antenna points with SABC 1, 2 and 3 as well as e.tv. The surface of the stands also differs widely. Some are covered in grass, while others have a dirt section in the middle with an edge of grass all around. There’s no scarcity of taps, and they’re clearly marked with yellow paint. Some taps have drainage points, some don’t. Although most of the stands are to the left of the main road lower down towards the sea, there is a piece of higher ground closer to the other end of the resort. Here you’ll find a smallish grassy hill with trees that give little shade, nevermind stop the
wind. But if you’re looking for a lovely lawn to camp on, this is the spot. There are a number of bathroom buildings scattered throughout the resort. You can see they did not build the facilities yesterday, but they are neat and clean – there are even flowers next to the basins. The shower cubicles have wooden doors and a shower curtain that prevents the water from wetting the world. The basins are also from a bygone era, but you don’t need a marble top. They’re spaced far apart and there are mirrors – and storage space – for Africa. You can also flush your cassette toilet here. As for wheelchair-friendly facilities, Block 3A, a small building on its own, is an example. It’s usually locked, and if you want to use it, get the key at the office. Note, it’s for the exclusive use of the disabled and infirm. The resort has two separate swimming pools. Both are situated amongst the sites on the right-hand side. The first is almost halfway through the resort next to site 68. It is fenced and similar in size to a home pool. The ablutions next door is like the first block. There is also a scullery behind it with several basins, but in stead of the tiled floor, it is painted green. The second pool is next to stand 170, also with a bathroom. Right next to the office is another bathroom with a laundry where you pay R35 for washing or drying. The sinks here are loose-standing and have no storage space next to them. Inside the resort there are two more laundry rooms, but there you hand in your clothes to have them laundered. The shop forms part of the tea garden and is more of a tuck shop. Next door is a playpark with a couple of trampolines, a swing, a jungle gym and a roundabout. The games room sits behind the tea garden and has, among other activities, DStv, table tennis and pool tables. But you’re at the beach, and it’s time to wet your feet in the warm Agulhas current. Most campers seem to leave the resort using the entrance. On the other side of the gate is a spacious parking space in front of the resort, but today it’s full. Scottburgh’s beach with its beautiful bay is barely 250 metres along and that teems with people. It’s not only the beach that attracts visitors, there are plenty of restaurants and palm trees too.