Since I was 16 years old, my camping trips up the West Coast have been held up by the nightmarish N7 roadworks. I set off on a recent assignment determined to avoid the stop-gos, and here’s what I found.
Get the full story of our West Coast roadtrip in the November issue of Getaway magazine – but click through below to get a glimpse of the pristine beach camping, beautiful flower displays and curious sheep we encountered.
My colleague Tyson Jopson and I started our West Coast assignment at Langebaan’s West Coast National Park. This lookout point just inside the northern ‘Langebaan gate’ has spectacular views across the lagoon.
A local flying his radio-controlled plane on the main Langebaan beach. Our beachfront bar waiter said the father and son flying team could be found most evenings, flipping their agile little planes along the wide, sandy beach.
For 90 kilometres, north of Lutzville, cove after sandy cove unfolded before us, and we cruised unhurried down the jeep track as it wound in and out along the shore.
Tyson posing for the setting sun at our wild, West Coast beach camp.
With miles of beach to yourself, there’s lots of opportunity to play for the camera.
Or just stroll along the empty beaches, looking at pebbles and imagining you might find a massive diamond glinting between the rocks.
Back on the road the next day we were blown away by the landscape. The sandy track was quiet and long. We didn’t pass a car all morning.
We stopped often that morning, heading down to explore the beaches and rock pools exposed at the low tide.
This was mid-September and there were still plenty of West Coast flowers on show. Photo by Tyson Jopson.
This stretch of the coastline is not inside the Namaqua National Park and sheep graze freely between the road and the sea. Photo by Tyson Jopson.
Namaqualand Tent Tortoises are everywhere along this stretch of coastline. Keep a sharp lookout for them crossing the roads. Photo by Chris Davies.
The wreck of the HMSAS Aristea, just south of Hondeklipbaai, is a desolate and beautiful spot for a sundowner. Photo by Chris Davies.
But Tyson and I preferred to head back into Hondeklipbaai to grab a sundowner at the Dop & Kreef restaurant on the town’s main beach. Tyson took this shot of their spectacular view. Photo by Tyson Jopson.
Photo by Tyson Jopson.
And then it was time to head home. Our lasting memory of a wonderful West Coast road trip. Photo by Chris Davies.
