Cape Aghulas - Pringle bay to Gansbaai and Bredasdorp areas
L'Agulhas is the most southern coastal village and holiday resort in Africa, located within the Cape Agulhas Municipal area at the southernmost tip of the African mainland. It is situated next to the town of Struisbaai and about 30 kilometres south of the regional centre of Bredasdorp. It includes many little towns and I grouped our frequent visits under the banner of Cape Aghulas.
#9 Divvie se verjaardag
Divvie het op 18 Mei 70 geword, en Piet, Floors, Mike en ons het besluit om dit op Pearly Beach te gaan vier. Piet het n plek op Pearly en die naweek word aanmekaar geslaan, en Divvie weet van niks. Ons het die roete gedoen en eers by Baardskeerderbos begin met snack en n bier of wat, en daarna al die local plekke aangedoen. Die collage hieronder is van die kroeg in Baardskeerdersbos (middel bo), Marietjie se pub en grill (links bo) en Rusty se Treintjie Pub en danssaal. (regs bo). Die Spur menu wys nog n 300 g rump steak teen R39,50.
Rusty se trein is nie vir die gemiddelde man nie, en jy moet seker maak of jy wil opklim of afklim. Elke keer as die dobbelsteen 6 wys, moet jy drink, en as die laaste trok twee sesse wys, dan ry die trein weer. Een train het 500 shots gehad, die rekord tot op datum, ons trein het gelukkig net 12 trokke gehad.
Piet het ons onthaal die aand met n springbokboud oor die kole, en saam met volmaan en n perfekte sonsondergang het Divvie sy 71ste jaar binne gegaan. Elize kon Le Linea op Piet se muur teken.
Sondagoggend het ons die strand gestap en met laagwater was die strand plat en breed en windloos.
#8 Bredasdorp 2019
Tydens die laaste besoek aan Bredasdorp, het n ou vriend, Marius Moelich n draai kom maak en my vertel hoe lekker plat die pad is van Bredasdorp na Elim. Ek het n paar keer die geleentheid gehad om die roete te doen, en dit is plat, behalwe dat die wind jou laat voel of jy bergop ry. Tot by Elim is n 75km roete, en jy moet regsdraai by die T-aansluiting. Die volgende keer het ek tot by tafeltjie en stoeltjies gery, soos die omdraaipunt bekend staan. Sowat 44 km heen en weer. Op n ander geleentheid kon ek bergfiets ry, en die video clip is sommer so in die ry geneem. Iewers in die toekom wil ek nog al hierdie paaie explore met n bergfiets. Daar is net eindelose paaie met relatief min verkeer.
Ons het al die roete tussen bredasdorp en Arniston gedoen, wat gewoonlik saam met die wind terugkom. Baie plat.
#7 Pringle Bay 19 April 2019
We replaced the Pypklip weekend with a maritime weekend, and it was held in Pringle Bay. The government allowed for crayfish diving over the weekend, and we all got licenses sorted.
Massive crayfish - Piet used every trick in the book to make it look even bigger, Dirkie immediately picked up that the photo was manipulated - see my right arm versus the size of the crayfish in Piet's left hand! Still a good size, Lawrence got thirteen for the braai.
The weekend saw storm like winds and much needed rain, and it takes a special group of people to make a camp work in this type of weather. We rigged a shack with some sinkplate and pellets, and soon we had a fire going and the occasional raindrop hitting you in the face - mostly however, a dry weekend.
The town is small, but easy access to wine and beer, a restaurant - Bistro 365 - where we spent a wonderful afternoon sipping some red wine whilst Piet was doing the brandy thing. Lily joined us for the excursion, and as the whole town knows her, she had a lot of fun playing around with the waitresses and management.
The liquor shop has all sort of wise words on the walls, the one that caught the eye was..... we will tell no one that you were here.....in a small town there are few secrets, and a wife can easily phone the liquor store to find out when hubby was there.....
The Pringle Bay Country shop stocks all the things you buy, and when you get home you dont know what to do with it. It also stocks jams, sauces and other edibles, which look divine. The marsmellows are big, and square.....too fancy to roast in the fire.....I bought a tile that says.....as jy vlak is, is alles diep.....dalk praat dit net met my.
Visiting Lawrence creates the opportunity to cycle - the wind was fairly hectic and we managed a 40 odd k cycle. Piet joined us for the first time, and the video illustrates his choice of outfit.
We have not abseiled in many years, and as all the equipment was on hand, we decided to do a little hike towards Blesberg. We found a big rock, trusted the bygone knowledge to tie the rope to that rock, rigged out own lines and had some fun abseiling down the rocks. Daleen and Dewald joined in, and we all had two efforts down. The recent fires did not destroy any fynbos in this area.
Note - Piet Botha since passed away, and at the time we saw this, pic, he was still doing some of his very last performances......
Youtube clips of Robin Auld and Wendy Oldfield - on hindsight, we should have stayed for the show.
We ended the weekend with a visit to the reptile park - Francois the owner has studied genetic manipulation and his snakes are absolutely amazing! He makes a living selling snake, tortoises and other things.
#6 Pringle Bay 4 Jan 2019
Some idiot started a fire with an illegal flare during our visit, end the devastation can be seen in the photo.
Visiting Lawrence and Janice always holds the promise of a crayfish treat, and we were not disappointed. Lawrence braaing the crayfish in the webber, with a butter, peri-peri and garlic sauce. Piet joined us for a windstill evening.
Selfie van die kreef, en die volgende oggend se ontbyt ala Pypklip Boskombuis styl.
Hierdie braaiplek het houding, met sand romdom die kroegtoonbank.
Ruanda en Werner het bo-op die cottage se dak geslaap, en Xander het besluit hy gaan saam. Windlose aand met die mooiste sonsondergang in Pringle Bay.
Family get together in Gansbaai. Ons het die oggend golf gespeel saam met die seuns, en Oupa Gawie het self op een stadium n put deurgewerk. Ek kon die sethou op video kry.
Clarissa het ons geleer wie maak Gansbaai lekker, en ons kon dit ook op video vasvang.
#4 Bredasdorp - many visits
We visited Bredasdorp many times whilst doing the MMC program on behalf of the University of Stellenbosch. It is small place, with a local gym, and during 2019 three residents completed the PE Ironman. It has many cycle routes and lots of locals perform quite well in the sport of cycling. Kobus Meyer runs the gym, and he is a renowned international triathlete. He started way back on 2007 with the Jailbreak, and by pure coincidence did it with Frank Smuts. I did my first Ironman with Frank the following year. Small world.
The local municipality has an excellent tract record for service delivery, and although often cash strapped, had a clean audit report for the last three years. Dave Beretti runs a very tight ship here. Our favorite accommodation is the Bredasdorp Country Manor, with its french styled buildings and rooms.
Julians were known for many years to be the best restaurant in the area, and we made sure to at least have dinner there once during our visits. It has a very nice fireplace, and a sizeable wine collection. Sadly it closed down during 2018. We last visited during 2018 when we were on our way to do the whale trail. The restaurant served many fancy dishes, and my favourite was the pork neck. 
The Bredasdorp Museum is primarily a maritime Museum whose theme is "Shipwrecks along the dangerous Southern Cape coast and their influence on the development of the Strandveld".
There have been approximately 130 shipwrecks off the Southern Cape coast since 1673. This dangerous section of coast is known as the "Graveyard of the ships". The Museum also documents the rich history of the area. Two famous wrecks include the Birkenhead and the Arniston.
Danger Point, Gansbaai - 1852 - 193 people survived the wreck, out of 643 passengers and crew.
The story The Birkenhead HMS was en route to Algoa Bay, carrying British troops and some civilians, when it struck a submerged rock off Danger Point. The lower compartments were flooded as water poured in through the breach, and many soldiers drowned before they could even reach the deck. Captain Robert Salmond gave the order to evacuate, but instructed his men to “hold fast” so that the women and children could board the lifeboats first. The conduct and courage of the soldiers onboard would go down in legend, as they obeyed the captain’s orders without question. Survivors later testified that they had never seen embarkations – let alone evacuations – carried out with such composure. The troops and sailors suffered heavy casualties, but thanks to their bravery, all women and children aboard the wreck survived. Rudyard Kipling paid tribute to the bravery of the Birkenhead’s crew in his poem Soldier an’ Sailor Too, and the phrase “Birkenhead drill” became synonymous with standing strong in the face of death. Location of the wreck The rocks where the ship met its end can be seen from the Danger Point lighthouse at Gansbaai (the lighthouse itself was built 43 years after the wreck, and has a plaque commemorating the vessel). The wreck itself lies in 30 meters of water, around 1.5km from the nearest shore. As a dive site, it is only accessible by boat, with Gansbaai Harbour being the preferred departure point.
Arniston -1815 - Only six people survived the wreck, out of 378 passengers and crew. The story The ship – an East Indiaman built in 1794 – had made eight uneventful voyages from England to the Far East, but the ninth voyage was to be its last. On the night of 30 May 1815, The Arniston was on its way home from Ceylon (in Sri Lanka), when it was caught in a violent storm off the Southern Cape coast. Captain George Simpson gave the order to make for shore, incorrectly assuming that they were just off Table Bay, when in fact they had not yet passed Cape Agulhas. A fatal miscalculation, and one that might have been avoided if the ship’s chronometer had been replaced before the journey (the captain had requested a new one, but the ship’s owners had deemed it an unnecessary expenditure). So The Arniston, with 100 wounded soldiers, some wealthy passengers and their families aboard, struck a reef. A handful of survivors managed to make their way to the shore, where they sought shelter in a nearby cave, living off whatever supplies happened to wash up on the beach. A farmer’s son discovered them a few days later, and they were able to make their way back to Cape Town. Location of the wreck The wreckage lies about 900 meters offshore, under six metres of water. An underwater excavation in 1982 recovered a number of artefacts, which are on display at the Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum. A plaque near the beachfront, erected by the wife of Lieut Colonel Andrew Giels, commemorates the loss of her four eldest sons, who were returning home from visiting their father in Ceylon.
#3 Struisbaai 1 August 2017
The town is an old fishing village which for many years sported a beautiful natural harbour. Some development has taken place since then but Struisbaai is still relatively untouched by the rigours of over-development. Many fishermen still reside in this settlement but it is now known better for its leisure activities, which include fishing, horseriding, hiking, paintball, quad biking, and diving. The exact origins of the name of Struisbaai, however, is still a subject of debate. The various historical stories uncover 3 different origins for the name of the town.
The first being accredited to the thatch or straw (strooi in Afrikaans) roofs of the fisherman cottages scattered along the coast. Another is the ostriches (“struisvogel” in Dutch) that used to call this area their home, while others believe the name was derived from an old Dutch word meaning “huge” given due to the long stretches of beach. The last origin seems more plausible as Struisbaai holds the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere which stretches for a total of 14 kilometers. Also not to be missed is the resident stingray Parrie making an appearance. Pelican´s Harbour Cafe originally started as a humble little fish take away, but due to enormous popularity has expanded and grown into a very busy seafood restaurant. At its unique location in the working fishing harbour of Struisbaai you will be captivated by mouthwatering seafood dishes, a relaxed ambience and excellent views over the bay – a perfect formula for making lasting memories!
Menu of Pelicans
They had a special burger day for the 2019 elections, which can be seen after the collage.
Die riviere in die gedeelte van die Kaap het meesal water, en ons het al groot pret gehad met sulke naweke. Hier is n collage van foto's waar ons in die rivier geroei het met die klomp plastiekbote. Die seuns was seker so 9 of 10, en Ruanda 16. Die grootmense het op n stadium stroomop geroei, en later het ons geskini dip. Nie lank daarna nie het n hele roei geselskap daar verby gekom terwyl ons almal kaalbas in die water is. Hier kon ons ook met die bote in die rapids speel, en ons kon telkemale die bote boontoe sleep en met die stroom af kayak. Groot pret. Ek dink dit sal selfs moontlik wees om hier n nappy run te doen.
#1 Lighthouse to Lighthouse
- We cycled from Danger Point lighthouse in Gansbaai to the southernmost tip of Africa, the L’Agulhas lighthouse. Day One is with 118 km with 1200m ascent. The new improved route sees riders tick to scenic routes along the beach; through open plains and through some wooded kloofs. The sandy, rutted tracks of the past have been ditched for faster off-road tracks. After camping at Cape Agulhas for the Saturday evening, riders tackle the shorter 93 km return route back to Danger Point. We did it twice, once with Don Lange and the wind was pumping and we had soft sand for many kilometres. The second time we did it with Ben Swart, Jannus Roux and Vlooi van Rooyen. Elize got a stomach bug after day one and had to miss out on the second day. Liesbeth had to look after Ruanda whilst we were cycling.
- The route starts at the historic Danger Point lighthouse near Gansbaai where the famous Birkenhead sank. The route tries to follow the trail that the old wagons used almost a century ago to supply paraffin to the lighthouses. Part of the route is through privately owned property, only opened to Lighthouse to Lighthouse riders. At the end of the first day you will move closer to the seashore. This last stretch is renowned for its shipwrecks. Be sure not to linger too long because there is be a cut-off time (the incoming tide might be a problem). The lighthouse is in sight and you will cycle at the most southern point of the African continent.
- Conrad Stoltz also did it in 2008 and posted a video, which gives a very nice idea of what this race is all about. The video is loaded at the bottom.
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