Camping at Vloedbos in the Overberg - a winning option all around

Every year we go on a camping over the summer school holiday.  We're not the "return to the same place year after year" type of campers as we want to explore and discover new places.  As we live in Port Elizabeth and by the sea, we're also not bothered by coastal holidays which tends to be windy in summer and effects us badly as we camp in tents.  After a lot of searching and researching, we settled on Vloedbos in the Overberg as our destination for December 2015.  And there, just off the cross roads between Riviersonderend, Caledon, Hermanus and Napier, we discovered a true camping oasis between all the brown summer fields of the Overberg.

Vloedbos, with its 46 caravan and camping sites (all on lush green grass) and a number of self catering accommodation options, belongs to the Du Toit family and is truly a family run resort aimed at families.  We were made to feel very welcome from day one and I barely started pitching the tents when the KidZ disappeared to go and explore everything Vloedbos had to offer.  While the KidZ checked out the activities, the Damselfly headed over to the ablution facilities as that is generally her first "tongtippietoets" to see if she's going to be happy at a campsite.  She actually came back to interrupt my solo pitching effort and made me go and check out the excellent bathroom facilities before I could get back to setting up camp.

One of my most important tests of any campsite, especially if it is some distance from the nearest shop - like this one is - is the resort's shop.  The Vloedbos Tuck Shop did not disappoint.  It was well stocked with just about everything one needs with the only thing we suddenly needed and couldn't find there being cinnamon for pancakes.  Demichelle offered to get it for us by the next day which was excellent, although we decided to make a quick trip to Napier (and sommer do a couple of Geocaches while we were there).  The other very notable thing about the shop is that the prices isn't a ripoff like I have so often seen in campsite shops.  I wonder how much we spent on ice creams while we were there for our 10 days?

The biiiiiiig attraction for young - and old - is the super tube and speed slide. The slide is open daily from 10 am to 12 pm, 2 pm to 4 pm and a final hour between 5 pm and 6.  They use a siren to announce the super tube opening and you can be sure that every time that siren went off it was a case of towels being grabbed (and sometimes forgotten) and kids scattering and racing to make the most of their time on the tube.  I have to be honest here though and say that perhaps my biggest complaint during our stay was the cost of the super tube.  At R5 per ride or R100 per day it does work out a very expensive exercise to have two KidZ and one dad who wanted to ride every day.  I tried to explain to the KidZ though that they had to keep in mind that most of the other campers came from Cape Town and only had to drive 2 hours to get there while we had an eight hour drive each way which costs a lot more in petrol. This meant that they had more money available for their kids to ride more often.  At least my KidZ understand things like that and I am proud of them for doing so.

We made a deal with the KidZ that they could each get a full day ticket and that we would buy them a couple of loose riding bands for the other days.  They also used some of their own money to fill in some blanks.  This meant that there were on the super tube every day.  Some days more than others.  I had my full day as well and believe me, I got my money's worth.  I did realise though that I'm not 25 anymore and my body really knew I was on there for most of the day.  In actual fact, I out-rode most of the children that day.

The speed slide isn't for everybody although I really enjoyed it.  I think the strangest thing of our whole stay was the fact that the Damselfly preferred the speed slide over the super tube.  Yes, that's her in the top three pictures and bottom left.  The best of all was her first ride.  She got to the top and stopped, allowing a few kids to pass her while she gathered her courage.  I heard a comment from a boy standing next to me that this aunty is going to scream when she goes down.  Well, he was slightly disappointed as she didn't utter a peep.  Even I was surprised at that.

Vloedbos' brand new 13 hole mini golf course also saw a lot of action from us while we were there.  We used to play putt putt a lot more when we were young than what today's children get to so the KidZ made sure they utilised the course every opportunity they got.  Pssst, let me tell you a little secret.  Hire your clubs and balls during the last one hour before the shop closes and they allow you to keep it till they open at ten the next day.  You can play all evening under the floodlights and perhaps have a quick round the next morning as well. You can thank me later.

A big highlight for the littlies every day is Carlo and the quad train.  Ten bucks and the train takes them on snaking route through the whole campsite with bicycles and runners following behind.

One afternoon the campers two tents down from us ambushed the train with water guns.  After the ambush the train stayed away for a long time before suddenly appearing again.  I immediately spotted that something was up.  The kids all had big smiles and at closer inspection noticed hidden water guns and water balloons.  They were ready for a second possible ambush.  I ran to grab the camera as I knew the ambush was indeed on again. There were lots of screams and laughs from both sides as the first water balloons started flying.  Now this is the kind of campsite fun non-campers will never get.

The holiday program, although very limited, was a lot of fun for the kids as well.  We unfortunately only stayed till just after Christmas so ended up missing out on a lot of the activities they offered.   

If Drama Princess was a member of the Spice Girls she would have been Sporty Spice.  And that showed at the holiday program.  She was in with a shot in each item she participated in, nearly out throw and catching the boys in the water balloon challenge.  Even Chaos Boy participated in the activities for a change.  During our stay he didn't really make a bunch of friends like Drama Princess did, but he was never bored.

As for the Damselfly and myself, we just used the holiday to chill.  I promised myself that I would try not to thing of work during my holiday for a change and I didn't.  I binge read under my gazebo, went for walks, swam when I wanted, visited with other campers, played with the KidZ and just did nothing. In fact, I grabbed a second book just before we left home in case I finished my first one.  I was done with both in five days. 'Nuff said.  We also spent a day exploring the Overberg coast between Gansbaai and Agulhas, something we really needed more time for.  But relaxing was the first priority.

My impressions of Vloedbos?  Well, if you haven't been able to gather that we were suitably impressed from everything above, here it is again.  It is a great campsite.  Beautiful grassy sites even if there isn't that much shade yet.  Excellent facilities.  Well looked after with hands on management. Strict rules about noise.  Very child friendly with lots to do for the whole family.  Would perhaps liked the wifi to have worked better. Yes, I wanted to see what the world was up to on social media.  Vloedbos is the ideal campsite for a weekend camping getaway from Cape Town and perfect for a longer holiday.  It really is a shame that we are so far otherwise we would have visited more often.  Although most of the visitors were from the Western Cape, I'm sure they will get more and more popular with visitors from further off as word about them gets out more.  Will we be back?  I sure would like to return some time, but for December 2016 the Drakensburg is a calling.

Agulhas - the most Southern point of Africa

I have finally had the opportunity to take the family to see Cape Agulhas.  I got to visit it the first time when I was doing my tourist guide training for the Western Cape but as a family we have never been in the area.  A day of exploring along the coast took us from Gansbaai past Danger Point to Struisbaai and Agulhas.  It took us a lot longer to make the journey than initially expected and the family already started grumbling about heading back to the campsite at Vloedbos so I decided to rather skip climbing the Agulhas Lighthouse.  At least I've been up before and the family got to climb Danger Point.  I did stop to get a couple of photos of the lighthouse though.

The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was opened in 1849 and was the third lighthouse to be built in South Africa.  Today it is the second-oldest still operating after Green Point.  The design of the building was inspired by the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the original 7 Ancient Wonders of the World.  In 1968 the lighthouse was taken out of service when it was discovered that the sandstone walls were crumbling due to excessive weathering.  The light was moved to an aluminium tower and restoration started on the lighthouse building with it being recommissioned in 1988.

From the lighthouse it's a short drive to the parking area from where we followed a boardwalk to Cape Agulhas.  Cape Agulhas is significant as it is the most Southern point of Africa and officially the spot where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet (no matter what some Cape Townians would like you to believe about Cape Point).  The cape was named by Portuguese navigators around the year 1500 who called it Cabo das Agulhas, Portuguese for "Cape of Needles", after they noticed that the direction of magnetic north (and therefore the compass needle) coincided with true north in the region.

Chaos Boy who was the most excited about seeing the most Southern point was rather disappointed what what he saw when we got there.  Cape Agulhas is relatively unspectacular with a gradually curving coastline and a rocky beach.  To be honest, if it wasn't for the small stone monument and plaque, one would probably not even know that you are actually standing at the cape.  The significance isn't lost on you when you are there though and we joined the other tourists in a line for our turn to take photos.

Drama Princess wasn't really bothered about the cape, although she had to pose for a picture as well.  She was more worried about finding one of the oldest Geocaches in South Africa nearby.  Something we did afterwards by the way.

Cape Agulhas may not be as spectacular as Cape Point but it's still very cool to be able to say one has stood at the most Southern point of Africa.

Shades of blue at Struisbaai

A picture perfect day at Struisbaai fishing harbour in the Overberg

A Labyrinth is not a Maze

What is the difference between a maze and a labyrinth.  Although the two terms are basically synonymous, there is a difference.  In this case a maze refers to a complex branching multicursal puzzle with choices of path and direction, while a unicursal labyrinth has only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not difficult to navigate.

The difference between the two meant the KidZ learned something during our summer holiday in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.  We drove to the town of Napier and I told them that we were going to make a stop to do a cache at a labyrinth.  They wanted to know what a labyrinth was and I told them it was like a maze.  That was where I made the mistake.  They had done the big maze at the Plett Puzzle Park before and in their minds there was going to be something similar.  When we got to The Red Windmill outside Napier and dashed off to go and find the maze only to be met by a "wall-less" labyrinth.  Oh the disappointment.  The ran off to the middle though following the path round and round, kinda defeating the purpose of this labyrinth being one of meditation and contemplation.  They had fun regardless.  While they were following the route to the middle I retrieved the cache from its hiding place and signed the log, adding another smiley to my Geocaching map. 

Pink piggy at the Red Windmill

A bit of exploring through the Overberg brought us to the Red Windmill farm stall and restaurant outside the town of Napier.  Next to the entrance we discovered this pink pig and how can one not want a photo with a pink pig?  We opted for a family photo for a change and as I had no tripod had to make do with a backpack on the ground

Danger Point not looking too dangerous

The Danger Point and the Danger Point Lighthouse near Gansbaai in the Overberg has a descriptive name very apt to how dangerous the coast here can really be.  It doesn't looks as dangerous though when you photograph it with little pink wildflowers in the foreground.  

Scaredy-cat

After climbing the Danger Point Lighthouse outside Gansbaai in the Overberg in December, Drama Princess and I headed down the path towards the rocks to find a Geocache hidden nearby.  As we hit the trail down we encountered this sign.  Damn, those must be big spiders if there is a warning sign including them along with snakes.

Discovering Danger Point Lighthouse

South Africa has some famous lighthouses. Cape Point, Green Point, Agulhas, Great Fish and Umhlanga just to name a few.  There are close to 50 lighthouse along the South African coast though and some often receive very little publicity because they are very much off the beaten track or just don't get visited as often as the well known ones.  During our camping holiday at Vloedbos in the Overberg we spent one day exploring the coast between Gansbaai and Agulhas and I got to visit the Danger Point Lighthouse just outside Gansbaai for the first time.

 

 

Bartolomeus Dias landed at what is now known as Danger Point on 16 May 1488.  He originally named it Ponte de Sao Brandao.  The name Danger Point comes from the dangerous reefs and rocks below the water which make it very dangerous for ships to sail close to the coast.

 

The most famous ship to be wrecked off Danger Point was the troopship HMS Birkenhead.  It was wrecked about 1,6 km from Danger Point in 1852, three years before the lighthouse was built, on a barely visible rock now named Birkenhead Rock.  The ship carried young Welsh and Scottish soldiers as well as their officers and families, on their way to Eastern Cape to fight the Xhosa.  The Birkenhead became famous as it became the first wreck where the captain called "women and children first".  All women and children were saved but most of the men perished.

The light was first activated on 1 January 1895.  The first light produced a beam of 45 000 candle.  Today's modern light has a strength of 1 700 000 candle at its peak flash intensity.  The lights is 45 meters above high water and can be seen from 25 sea miles out.

Out little lighthouse expedition was a lot less eventful although I did follow the women and children protocol to allow me to get some pics of the family shuffling up the exposed stairs. *smile*

 

You can see for miles from the top and it's clear why it is easy for a ship sailing close in shore to get into trouble here.



We fortunately didn't run into any trouble and avoided any collision with the rocks.  Unfortunately there weren't anybody else at the top of the lighthouse to take a family photo so here is one minus yours truly.  Once again just a little exploring took us to yet another new place.  It makes it hard to understand why some people never want to go anywhere and just sit in front of the tv or go walk around shopping centres.

Overberg patterns at sunset

The brown stubble covered fields in the Overberg during summer isn't always perceived as the most beautiful scenery by travelers.

That is until you look a little closer, especially just before sunset. 

Overberg stubble

Driving through the Overberg region of the Western Cape in late winter and spring you are met with rolling hills covered in green and yellow.  By the time summer comes around the grains like wheat, oats and barley as well as the canola have been harvested leaving nothing more than field after field of brown stubble and scattered hay bales.

Blue cranes in the Overberg

Road trip stories.  I have many. Why?  Because it's a lot more exciting than just flying to your domestic destination.  So except for speed, what is the most exciting thing that could happen on an average flight? Chicken or Beef?

Road tripping to Cape Town with Shefetswe and Erenei, we were driving somewhere between Caledon and Bot River in the Overberg when my eye caught something in a field next to the road.  As I spotted it Shefetswe remarked, "Wow! Check the Blue Cranes." Well, I don't know which came first but I slammed on the brakes and shouted hold on... or shouted hold on and slammed on the breaks.  Shefetswe did remark afterwards that he just saw the gravel next to the road approach quickly.  I don't know what he was on about.  There was no skidding wheels and I had everything under control.   

The slight whiplash was well worth the sighting though.  About 100 Blue Cranes together in the field. Not something you get to see every day from where we come from.   

 

Why was this sighting to special for us?  The Blue Crane is South Africa's National Bird and is a threatened specie that is classified as Vulnerable.  This took place in September which is normally a time when flocks have broken up and breeding pairs dominate the choice areas.  This means that in Spring and Summer you normally see pairs or pairs with youngsters in open fields.  The flocks that remain together move to the fringes of the breeding areas and it must have been a flock like that which we saw..

Overberg landscape

The Overberg landscape changes with the seasons with the best time to travel through the area being August and September.  That is when you will find green grain fields with wheat, oats and barley, interspersed by yellow canola fields, in splendorous full bloom.

Purple and green lines in the Overberg

Road tripping often allows you to see the most interesting and unusual sights.  Something you don't get wizzing overhead to your destination in a plane.  The Overberg is famous for it's canola fields covered in yellow flowers in spring, otherwise green fields in spring and and brown ploughed fields ion late summer going into autumn and winter.  Or that was until I saw this. Mmmm, very unusual. I don't know why but it reminded me of a couple of pictures of somewhere in Europe I've seen before.  If it wasn't for the sheep it could have been.  Whatever it is, it shouted out for me to pull over and grab my camera.

Late afternoon in the Overberg

Why go on a road trip if you don't stop along the way to enjoy the views?

Shefetswe goes crawling for a cache

I love to road trip, doesn't matter if it is for work or pleasure, solo, with friends or family.  Road tripping takes me to places, allows me to sightsee, discover things, give me photo opportunities and... Geocache.  It's amazing how one can actually plan your whole road trip and all your stops around Geocaching.  It was no different on a recent Cape Town road trip with friends and fellow travel peeps and Geocachers Erenei and Shefetswe.  On the way back we stopped at a picnic spot next to a little waterfall outside Caledon in the Overberg to stretch our legs a bit and to allow Shefetswe to find a cache Erenei and I had done on a previous trip.

While I was having something to snack on and taking a few photos, Erenei and Shefetswe did a bit of mountain climbing towards ground zero. 

Size wasn't on the big guy's side as you have to get right down low to find this container and it was quite funny watching him crawl around.  Yeah, yeah, it's always funny if somebody other than yourself is doing it.  He did come up with the cache successfully shortly after I snapped this last pic. Log signed and it was time for us to hit the road again.

Canola flowers in the Overberg

I've always wanted to take a couple of pictures of the canola fields in the Overberg to post but I always seem to travel through the area in summer or winter and never in spring.  Attending the e-Tourism Africa Summit in Cape Town and having driven up via the Klein Karoo I didn't even think of canola fields until we dropped over into the Overberg at Botrivier and there is was down below.  Patches of canola field flowers in all the green.  Now to find a nice spot with a view and the sun behind us.  The cloudy conditions didn't help either.  Somewhere between Riviersonderend and Swellendam I saw what I was (kinda) looking for.  Pulled over and positioned myself to take a few pictures, one of them being this one showing the canola field next to the N2.

 

Erenei, my travel companion on this trip, snapped this picture of me snapping the above picture. 

See what I mean with "positioned"? 

 

Ever seen a Firefly on a fence?  Luckily the farmer didn't.

Buffeljagsrivier farmstall dam

A sunny blue sky day. So typical of South Africa, specially in summer.  A grumbling tummy made me pull over at a farm stall at Buffeljagsrivier near Swellendam to look for a pie and something to drink.  Behind the farm stall was a big piece of grass with this farm dam and it is where I snapped this picture.  Green surroundings with a beautiful blue reflection and mountains in the background.  Makes one want to spend more time, but the road was calling.

The road through the Overberg

A recent road trip to Cape Town for work just proved yet again that there is no such thing as wasted time to be on the road between two places.  It will take a bit longer to get to the destination but make time to stop, even if its just to enjoy the scenery and countryside.  I did just that while driving through the Overberg with a quick leg stretcher at a picnic spot.

Overberg churches along the N2

My last trip down to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth took a slight different form from the usual.  Normally one would barrel down the N2 trying to cover the distance as quickly as possible but on my last trip down I decided to turn off into each of the towns along the N2 through the Overberg for a closer look.  The one thing I do when I get to a new town is to look up the local historic Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) which often is one of the main reasons these towns got established.

 

The first town I stopped in was Riversdale.  Riversdale was established as a new parish on the farm Doornkraal by the DRC of Swellendam in August 1838.  The town on the banks of the Vet River near the foothills of the Langeberg was named after Harry Rivers, Commissioner and Resident Magistrate of Swellendam from 1834 to 1841.  The present church on Church Street was built in 1907 and has an organ which was imported from Scotland at a cost of R1 800 at the time.

My next stop was the town of Heidelberg on the banks of the Duivenhoks River.  The first Dutch arrived in the area in 1725 and Andries Gous received a grand for the farm Doornboom. In September 1855 the Riversdale church council bought a part of the farm Doornboom on which to lay out a town.  They named it Heidelberg after the city in Germany, the source of the Heidelberg Catechism and, like the new Heidelberg, built on the banks of a river.  The beautiful Dutch Reform Church with its Gothic architecture is in the center of the town and was built in 1914, celebrating its centenary this year.

Swellendam is the fourth oldest town in South Africa and was declared a magisterial district in 1743.  The town was named after the governor of the Cape and his wife, Hendrik Swellengrebel and Helena Ten Damme.  By 1795 the local burghers was tired of the maladministration and inadequacies of the Dutch East India Company and decided to revolt, declaring themselves a Republic.  This didn't last long though as the British occupied the Cape later that same year.  The very unusual Dutch Reformed Church as you see it today was completed in 1911.  Built in an eclectic style, the gables are baroque, the windows Gothic, the cupola vaguely Eastern, and the steeple extravagant. Surprisingly, all the elements work together wonderfully. Inside is an interesting tiered amphitheater with banks of curving wood pews facing the pulpit and organ.

 

The town of Riviersonderend doesn't have a lot of history attached to it and was only established in 1922 when the farm Tierhok was sold to the church council when the local DRC congregation was established.  The church stands on the N2 and was built that same year.  I wonder how many people drive through in such a hurry that they don't even notice it. 

The Overberg town of Riviersonderend

Most people driving along the N2 between Cape Town and Mossel Bay only slow down while driving through the Overberg town of Riviersonderend because the speed limit drops to 60 km/hour.  Riviersonderend, 140 km east of Cape Town, isn't much more than a farm village with 5 245 (according to the 2011 census) inhabitants.  I'm one of those who are guilty of not giving the town any more time than a quick stop for a snack on my way through, but on my last trip to Cape Town I decided to take a couple of minutes out my day and look around.  I drove up to a view point behind the town and took in my surroundings, realizing how beautiful the area really is.

                   

So where does the name Riviersonderend ("river without end") come from?  There are two theories.
                   

In 1673 Willem ten Rhyne who was visiting the Cape and came through the area referred to the river, with it's source in the mountains, as the "sine fine flumen" ("river without end").

In 1707 Jan Hatogh, a horticulturist employed by the Dutch East India Company and a seasoned traveller, referred to the river as the "Kanna-kan-kann".  It is possible that this word came from the Hessequa (a local Khoi tribe of herdsmen) word "Kamma-kan Kamma" which, roughly translated, means "water, endless water".                  

                   

It doesn't really matter which of these two stories are true, what is certain is that the name refers to the perennial Sonderend River at the foot of the Sonderend mountains.  The town was had it's origines in 1923 when Miss Edith McIntyre sold the farm Tierhoek for 6000 pounds to the church council of the local Dutch reformed Church when the congregation was established.