A Magnificent Bay
As soon as I drove into Elands Bay, I knew it was something special. A small resort town built around a magnificent bay, it’s everything a West Coast seaside village should be.
The beach is wide and pristine, the air is clean and the atmosphere is tranquil enough to soothe the breast of even the most hardcore urbanite. There are several accommodation choices in Elands Bay. Guesthouses and the rather old-fashioned hotel offer traditional rooms with sea-views, but I would recommend staying at the local caravan park which is quite literally on the beach.
Flower Display
The flowers on the roads around Elands Bay aren’t too shabby either. The displays begin shortly outside the town of Eendekuil, which can be accessed from the N7 at the foot of the Piekenierskloof Pass. From here, the road largely keeps to the north bank of the Verlorenvlei River as it flows towards the sea, about 80 km away. You can also access this road from the Citrusdal side of the mountains. In its later stretches, the river spreads out across a series of wetlands that harbour a wealth of avian and botanical life.
The farm at Ventersklip has a particularly eye-popping location on the banks of a vlei, and boasts a dense display of wildflowers that bloom profusely around the headstones in their small family cemetery. The accommodation and restaurant at Ventersklip are also fantastic. The actual Verlorenvlei Reserve can be reached just outside the town of Redelingshuys.
Amazing Views
From Elands Bay, you simply must do the short drive around the adjacent headland known as Baboon Point. The gravel road leads right along the sea, offering amazing views out over the ocean. It’s also a good place to see the local strandveld flowers bloom in the fecund, green vegetation that grows right up to the water’s edge.
The Sishen-Saldanha industrial railway line runs right past Elands Bay and, for a small fee, you can drive on the private road that runs along the railway line all the way up to Lambert’s Bay.
It’s a very scenic route that lets you motor right along the coastline. When you’ve done your time at Elands Bay, you either have to return to the N7 or continue south down the coast on the gravel roads that lead past the Rocherpan Wetland and Bird Reserve to Velddrif.
By David Fleminger
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