Cape Coast
There's something about a grey sea that stirs my soul in ways that the azure vistas so beloved of travel writers never will.
Sure, they have their place on postcards and Mediterranean holidays but an endless expanse of calm blue wet has all the mood of a cigarette advertisement and the atmosphere of your local municipal swimming pool.
It's not as if you can drink it - especially not with a decent Scotch - and if you come from the Western Cape you certainly can't swim in the bloody stuff without at least 5mm of neoprene covering you from head to foot.
Great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale
But the sight, sound and smell of an irritable Atlantic Ocean sparring with the rocks of the Cape of Storms - knowing that the waters began their journey at the North Pole before squeezing between Scandinavia and Britain before sweeping down the coasts of Spain and Portugal to round the bulge of Africa on their way to South Africa ...
Ah, that's romance!
It's kind of hard to appreciate the effect the Atlantic has on shaping life on the west coast of Africa while sipping cocktails at La Med of a balmy Sunday eve, watching dolphins bobbing their way to Clifton to gawk at the tourists.
But stand on the exposed kopjes overlooking Saldanha Bay while the wind whips in off the sea and ominous grey clouds scud across the horizon, presaging the arrival of a cold front, and it's easy to picture the ocean as both giver and taker of life.
The bay itself was of strategic importance during World War II as much of the Allied naval traffic entering the Indian Ocean did so by rounding Cape Point (as opposed to using the Suez Canal).
Saldanha was designated an assembly point for convoys and troopships, and artillery batteries were erected along the coast.
Many people make the one-hour journey from Cape Town to the West Coast National Park (incorporating Langebaan Lagoon and the park within a park, Postberg) to view the spring flowers.
Truth is, if it's only picture-pretty they want, they could just as easily go to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens.
All around, fynbos and vygies crouch low over the ground to escape the wind and rock outcrops - having once had the temerity to jut into its teeth - stand sculpted by sand and salt, majestically deformed by its power.
The stones, onion-peeled and lichen-covered, are at once of this veld and alien - like the moai stone statues on Easter Island and the druidic plinths of Salisbury Plain.
The visual effect is all the more startling at this time of the year. Although we're at the end of the flower season, the ground is still covered with the proverbial carpet of yellow, orange, white and mauve blossoms.
From this, the great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale poking its head out of the water.
It's hard to imagine that, at the time Jan van Riebeeck made landfall in 1652, lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, hyena, wild dog and hippopotamus also occurred in the area.
The Postberg section of the park, which lies almost at the tip of a narrow isthmus and houses small populations of eland, gemsbok, bontebok, springbok, blue wildebeest and Cape mountain zebra, is open to the public only in August and September.
It is a contractual facility, which means it is private property managed by South African National Parks.
Access to the northernmost part of the isthmus, owned by the Defence Force, is restricted. It contains an old whaling station, Donkergat, and many of those who have conducted their underwater training in the area have encountered "monster" rock lobsters.
The area is also a marine reserve, and the presence of some of the country's most highly trained and experienced soldiers has proved an effective deterrent to poachers.
Halfway up the stretch of land is the minuscule hamlet of Churchaven, currently popular with artistic weirdos but also featuring the grave of George Albert Lloyd, an American who jumped ship from the Confederate raider Alabama when it docked at Saldanha in 1863.
The West Coast National Park, which has just marked the 20th anniversary of its proclamation, is an intriguing biosphere where all the elements have come together in a complex relationship to form a world-renowned floral kingdom and wetland that is equally famous for its birdlife.
Though the 27600-hectare reserve, which encapsulates almost the entire Langebaan Lagoon, lies less than 100 kilometres north of Cape Town, an SA National Parks brochure proudly proclaims "it may take most of our visitors months to get here".
Every year, between 50 000 and 70 000 birds fly more than 15 000km from northern Russia to spend the southern summer feeding in the lagoon.
The lagoon hosts over 250 bird species - more than a quarter of South Africa's total. Many of these are found around the southern part of the lagoon, designated a wilderness area but containing four circular day walks in the vicinity of the Geelbek environmental centre.
The centre (tel 022-772-2134) - named after the yellowbill duck and not the local vernacular for Cape salmon - boasts a history as colourful as the bold weavers and golden bishops that share your table at its simple yet superb restaurant.
Built in 1744, the farm Geelbek became an important stopover for transport riders on their way from Cape Town to St Helena Bay when then owner Cornelius Heufke sank a well in 1761 and found abundant fresh water on the property.
In the early 20th century, water was the last thing on the minds of Geelbek's proprietors. The farmhouse, since rebuilt and extended after being destroyed by fire 150 years earlier, had passed into the hands of one Henry de Villiers Steytler.
Historically documented as an avid collector and consumer of one of the Western Cape's finest products, Geelbek became renowned as the country's largest wine cellar.
In fact, Steytler caused the lagoon to be dredged so that ships carrying both supplies and guests could make it ashore without getting their feet wet.
His parties are reputed to have often went on for weeks. (This tradition has been proudly revived by the men who have spent extended periods of time at Donkergat - bless them.)
Sure, they have their place on postcards and Mediterranean holidays but an endless expanse of calm blue wet has all the mood of a cigarette advertisement and the atmosphere of your local municipal swimming pool.
It's not as if you can drink it - especially not with a decent Scotch - and if you come from the Western Cape you certainly can't swim in the bloody stuff without at least 5mm of neoprene covering you from head to foot.
Great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale
But the sight, sound and smell of an irritable Atlantic Ocean sparring with the rocks of the Cape of Storms - knowing that the waters began their journey at the North Pole before squeezing between Scandinavia and Britain before sweeping down the coasts of Spain and Portugal to round the bulge of Africa on their way to South Africa ...
Ah, that's romance!
It's kind of hard to appreciate the effect the Atlantic has on shaping life on the west coast of Africa while sipping cocktails at La Med of a balmy Sunday eve, watching dolphins bobbing their way to Clifton to gawk at the tourists.
But stand on the exposed kopjes overlooking Saldanha Bay while the wind whips in off the sea and ominous grey clouds scud across the horizon, presaging the arrival of a cold front, and it's easy to picture the ocean as both giver and taker of life.
The bay itself was of strategic importance during World War II as much of the Allied naval traffic entering the Indian Ocean did so by rounding Cape Point (as opposed to using the Suez Canal).
Saldanha was designated an assembly point for convoys and troopships, and artillery batteries were erected along the coast.
Many people make the one-hour journey from Cape Town to the West Coast National Park (incorporating Langebaan Lagoon and the park within a park, Postberg) to view the spring flowers.
Truth is, if it's only picture-pretty they want, they could just as easily go to the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens.
All around, fynbos and vygies crouch low over the ground to escape the wind and rock outcrops - having once had the temerity to jut into its teeth - stand sculpted by sand and salt, majestically deformed by its power.
The stones, onion-peeled and lichen-covered, are at once of this veld and alien - like the moai stone statues on Easter Island and the druidic plinths of Salisbury Plain.
The visual effect is all the more startling at this time of the year. Although we're at the end of the flower season, the ground is still covered with the proverbial carpet of yellow, orange, white and mauve blossoms.
From this, the great weathered boulders emerge with all the unexpectedness of a southern right whale poking its head out of the water.
It's hard to imagine that, at the time Jan van Riebeeck made landfall in 1652, lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, hyena, wild dog and hippopotamus also occurred in the area.
The Postberg section of the park, which lies almost at the tip of a narrow isthmus and houses small populations of eland, gemsbok, bontebok, springbok, blue wildebeest and Cape mountain zebra, is open to the public only in August and September.
It is a contractual facility, which means it is private property managed by South African National Parks.
Access to the northernmost part of the isthmus, owned by the Defence Force, is restricted. It contains an old whaling station, Donkergat, and many of those who have conducted their underwater training in the area have encountered "monster" rock lobsters.
The area is also a marine reserve, and the presence of some of the country's most highly trained and experienced soldiers has proved an effective deterrent to poachers.
Halfway up the stretch of land is the minuscule hamlet of Churchaven, currently popular with artistic weirdos but also featuring the grave of George Albert Lloyd, an American who jumped ship from the Confederate raider Alabama when it docked at Saldanha in 1863.
The West Coast National Park, which has just marked the 20th anniversary of its proclamation, is an intriguing biosphere where all the elements have come together in a complex relationship to form a world-renowned floral kingdom and wetland that is equally famous for its birdlife.
Though the 27600-hectare reserve, which encapsulates almost the entire Langebaan Lagoon, lies less than 100 kilometres north of Cape Town, an SA National Parks brochure proudly proclaims "it may take most of our visitors months to get here".
Every year, between 50 000 and 70 000 birds fly more than 15 000km from northern Russia to spend the southern summer feeding in the lagoon.
The lagoon hosts over 250 bird species - more than a quarter of South Africa's total. Many of these are found around the southern part of the lagoon, designated a wilderness area but containing four circular day walks in the vicinity of the Geelbek environmental centre.
The centre (tel 022-772-2134) - named after the yellowbill duck and not the local vernacular for Cape salmon - boasts a history as colourful as the bold weavers and golden bishops that share your table at its simple yet superb restaurant.
Built in 1744, the farm Geelbek became an important stopover for transport riders on their way from Cape Town to St Helena Bay when then owner Cornelius Heufke sank a well in 1761 and found abundant fresh water on the property.
In the early 20th century, water was the last thing on the minds of Geelbek's proprietors. The farmhouse, since rebuilt and extended after being destroyed by fire 150 years earlier, had passed into the hands of one Henry de Villiers Steytler.
Historically documented as an avid collector and consumer of one of the Western Cape's finest products, Geelbek became renowned as the country's largest wine cellar.
In fact, Steytler caused the lagoon to be dredged so that ships carrying both supplies and guests could make it ashore without getting their feet wet.
His parties are reputed to have often went on for weeks. (This tradition has been proudly revived by the men who have spent extended periods of time at Donkergat - bless them.)
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