Rendezvous at Eland’s Bay
So how, on a sunny Friday afternoon, did I find myself seated with a somewhat disparate group of individuals, in an indeterminate hotel, located in the tiny, hamlet of Elands Bay, best known for surfing, on the West Coast, of South Africa?
Organised hiking trail
I would be spending the next four days with this group, hiking the ‘Shoreline of the San‘ from Elands Bay, through Lamberts Bay, Doringbaai and ending some fifty kilometres later, with a chilled glass of MCC and a delicious fishy snack at Strandfontein. However I am getting ahead of myself.
A special gift
This opportunity was a birthday gift from my husband. Made more special as he likes to explore the world behind the wheel of his 4×4. I appreciate the sacrifice.
Beauty, culture and warm hospitality
Under the expert guidance of Anette Grobler, of Silent Steps, and her trusted team, Johnny and Sanna, we would be treated to a heady mix of wild, untamed natural beauty, great food and wine, enriching cultural experiences, and the warm hospitality of the people of the West Coast.
Mixing it up
We were certainly a diverse group made up of seventeen English and Afrikaans speaking folk, ranging in age between forty and seventy- eight, with various fitness levels. Our only common thread seemed to be a little apprehension as to what we had signed up for. Four days later we would feel as though we had known this group for a life- time, and would carry away a rich deposit of memories.
In expert hands
Anette was well qualified to lead us. Something of a low key hero, with two extreme solo walking trips under her belt, we had expertise on our side. That she was super organised, knowledgeable, unflappable, and lots of fun, made it even better.
Comfort offsets discomfort
This was a slack packing adventure, our bags were taken ahead of us, we slept in warm beds in comfortable accomodation, and our breakfasts and dinners were provided. All credit for the seamless way we transitioned from weary feet, to sitting around at our ‘home’ for the evening, has to go to Sanna, our logistics magician. (A rather weak description of an enviable free spirit, who lives in a van, with her gorgeous dog Benjamin).
The joy of walking
The hiking, whilst challenging in parts, was manageable for most of us. I love to walk, and its exhilarating to walk on an unspoiled beach, a briny breeze keeping you cool, kelp gulls wheeling overhead, and seals frolicking offshore.
Not that we only walked on the beach, for me it’s just as much fun to wander the streets of the villages we passed through, and experience life far from my city reality.
Treats every day
The hiking we were, or thought we were, prepared for. What we didn’t expect was the delightful surprises tucked into our trip, starting the day we arrived. This included a visit to an ancient cave used first by the hunter/gatherer San tribes, later by the Khoi, a tribe of herders.
Local really is ‘lekker’
This is where Johnny, a local tour guide from Lamberts Bay, came into his own. With his laughing eyes and big, generous personality, he shared his knowledge of the original inhabitants of this beautiful place. There is something humbling about a timeless story, depicted in rock art, on the wall of a cave, backlit by the sun sinking into the sea. Johnny’s knowledge of the area he grew up in was not limited to historical knowledge, as we discovered over the next two days, but included natural and cultural information too.
Fishy tales
In addition to hiking, we spent time at Lambert Bay harbor as the snoek boats came in. This was not for the squeamish, as it’s bloody, smelly and noisy, but a real reminder of the hardships of eking out a living as a fisherman.
A seaside farm rich in history, ghosts and love
We enjoyed a tractor trip around Steenbokfontein farm, with owner Herman Burger. He showed us the impressive archaelogical cave sites on the farm. Followed by a delicious meal in the Plaaskombuis restaurant where we were richly entertained by Kitta Burger, (Tannie Kitta) with a flair for telling ghost stories, and the history of the family who have lived here for generations, including a tale of a ship wreck and love story.
Swapping sore legs for sea legs
I loved the boat trip around Lambert’s Bay looking for dolphins, and enjoying the seals off Bird Island, and desperate tales of the diamond dredging.
Pace yourself we were warned
Another treat was lunch at the Muisbosskerm, an open- air restaurant, with a never ending parade of seafood and other locally popular dishes. No way could i do justice to all the food on offer.
Tales of Bird Island
I am thrilled I took the option of a walk onto ‘Bird Island’ to admire the gannets, an important tourist attraction, and shiver at the tale of seals who almost ended the colony during a poor fishing period. They attacked the fledglings, forcing the gannets to leave. Locals had to take action, chase the seals and lure the birds back with decoys.
West Coast wines are a thing
We even had a wine tasting, at a winery called Fryers cove, situated at Doringbaai, five hundred metres from the sea. Not what one would imagine the most ideal conditions for a wine farm, but it works, and the wines were great.
Birds eye view
On our last day we left the shoreline, and wandered along the cliff tops, from Doringbaai to Strandfontein. A beautiful, scenic experience with a turquoise sea churned into white foam at the base of the spectacular rocky cliff faces.
Fond farewells
All things end, and it’s never easy to say goodbye. Being greeted by Sanna, in Strandfontein, our bus swathed in our flag, colourful glasses of chilled local bubbly, and neat little tuna salads in a bamboo boat, reminded us of what we had achieved and eased our regret it was over.
That, and the knowledge that Anette has a number of these walking adventures lined up, makes saying goodbye a little easier.
Personal Highlights
- Feeling close to nature, spectacular scenery and long, uninhabited beaches.
- Bird life- kelp gulls, terns taking off against the blue sky painting a wall paper picture, gannets plunging into the ocean at death defying speeds, huge drifts of cormorants rising up as we approached and settling in the ocean.
- Watching a pod of dolphins from the cliff tops.
- Warmth and hospitality of everyone we encountered.
- Meeting our group as strangers, and leaving as friends.
- Laughter, so much laughter
- Cultural and historical enrichment of an area I knew so little about.
- Joy of walking with others, joy of walking alone
Reminders
- In a troubled world, we often we feel hard done by and forget the real treasures we have right here.
- Sometimes the pain of exploring our world on our feet is offset by the gains of seeing our world with new eyes.
A sombre note
we all know about the islands of plastic in the middle of the ocean, yet we feel powerless to make a difference. It feels far away, until walking on uninhabited beaches, you are faced with plastic litter that needs to be picked up.
It doesn’t matter how it got there, we owe it to ourselves to resolve this problem one small, silent footstep at a time. Pick it up, dispose of it correctly, and look to your own living habits to see how we can stop contributing to this scourge.
Photo Mark Ilbury
Go to Namamaquawestcoast.com for information on all the wonderful things you can do in this this special region.
brenfinding5th.com 