Sopiesklip: A Family Day on the Dunes

Sopiesklip. A family day on the dunes. White sand, wild Atlantic surf and not much else.

We took our vehicles out to the coast near Hermanus for the day. My wife came along, and so did my father. There was no real plan beyond the sand, the sea and each other's company. Then we drove home through the fynbos.

I spend most of my working life planning journeys for other people. Visitors to Africa offers private journeys for one to six guests, and small groups of up to twelve, and I plan every trip personally. There is a great deal of detail in that work. I enjoy it, and I take it seriously.

So it is good to be reminded that some of the best days on this coast need no booking at all. Just good company and a full tank. On a day like Sopiesklip the landscape does most of the work. White sand, a wild ocean and the fynbos on the road home. You do not need much more than that.

It is also a reminder of who the days are for. Time out there with my wife and my father is the part I will remember. The dunes made a fine setting, and the company made the day.

I think about this when I plan a journey for someone else. A good trip leaves room for unhurried time, shared with the people you came with, in a place that asks very little of you. I try to build that space in, because those are the hours that tend to stay with you long after you are home.

This was Daily Vlog 35 from Visitors to Africa. So I will ask you what I asked on LinkedIn. Would you drive it?

If you would like to plan a private journey through the Western Cape, I would be glad to hear from you. Write to me at john@visitorstoafrica.com, or find us on WhatsApp at @visitorstoafrica, and we can talk through what kind of days you are hoping for.

John Sparks