West Coast’s Lambert’s Bay

Boerekos, dried fish biltong and fresh Atlantic Ocean seafood, braaied fresh lobster dripping in lemon butter or peri-peri sauce, long walks on the beach and a cool breeze fresh off the sea in the evenings – all this and much, much more from one of the greatest places to go camping. I want to go back!

Why do I love the West Coast so much? I shouldn’t though, as I was born high up in the mist-shrouded forests of Kenya. Paradoxically, the older I get, the more the arid and desert-like places tug at my heartstrings. It’s funny the strange pathways that life leads us along. Perhaps my longing for the West Coast was planted at an early age, when I ended up working on my first varsity vac in Namaqualand. I was probably the worst law and Latin scholar in history. “Carpe diem,” I say.

When my old man finally said, “Welcome to the big wide world son … pack up your bags and Trek Ferreira,” or something to that effect, I headed up the West Coast to work on the diamond mines in Oranjemund for six years. My West Coast addiction was born. And, over 50 years later, that addiction has only gotten stronger.

So, I jumped at the opportunity to head back for a dose of West Coast nirvana when the boss said, “Take the new Isuzu D-Max and the caravan, and head up to Lambert’s Bay – it’s the home of the rock lobster and they have an all-you-can-eat seafood place. And find out if there are places to camp.”

There are many ways of getting to Lambert’s Bay, but as I was coming from my home in Greyton I chose to take the N7 and head up to Clanwilliam. Taking the off-ramp to Clanwilliam, I turned left onto the R364 and headed on to Lambert’s Bay. It’s a lovely drive up the N7 over Piekenierskloof Pass to