Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

‘What now? Why’s he flashing his lights at me?’ I know my old Land Rover camper is as slow as an ox, so I’m ultra careful when turning into a busy road. I was leaving Pringle Bay, and turning right to Betty’s Bay when I saw the approaching Freelander from Rooi Els; but its indicators signalled that it was going to turn right to Pringle Bay, which I had just left. Now the vehicle was behind me, lights flashing, and while he was overtaking me, the driver signalled furiously for me to pull over. ‘Eish!’ Like the Landie, I was getting a bit old for road rage, especially when I was taking my ‘brand-new’ baby, a 1984 Land Rover 110 camper, on my first major camping trip. Well, blow me…

It may be an odd way to begin the review of the Sensation Anee caravan which I recently tested, but I think it’s important that I begin with Riaan Van Helsdingen, the designer and builder of the Sensation caravan range. Riaan is a maverick; perhaps even an ‘outlier’. That term comes from a book of the same title by Malcolm Gladwell, in which he asks what makes high-achievers different. One review summed up this title as follows: ‘His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing…’ Gladwell’s book struck a chord with me. Riaan is dyslexic, and as a result…

Dotted with lush pans that attract all sorts of game and birds to their banks, Ndumo Game Reserve offers dazzling views, thrilling game drives and spectacular bird-viewing opportunities. On a recent visit to Ndumo I was very pleased to find that the road is now tarred to the entrance gate; in the past, this road was so horrendous that it put off many a visitor, including me. The newly-resurfaced road will, I hope, bring in more guests and help to encourage growth at this nature reserve. I was surprised to find how empty the reserve was, especially given what a wonderful campsite is on offer. There are large shady sites in a beautiful setting underneath the Marula trees. The ablutions are reasonable and there’s a very large communal kitchen if…

In South Africa, the launch of a new Hilux is big news. Really big news.‘Why all the fuss over a bakkie?’ you might ask. Well, if you’ve ever owned a Hilux, you’ll know the answer to this question. And, if you haven’t, consider this: for many years in recent history, the Hilux has been SA’s bestselling bakkie. In fact, for many years in recent history, the Hilux has been SA’s best-selling vehicle! So, now you’ll understand why, when there’s an all-new Hilux, a lot of people are very interested. The model was introduced to SA in 1969; and, since then, it’s become synonymous with durability, reliability and ‘sell-ability’. This is a vehicle that’s famous for being tough, dependable, and for maintaining a high resale value. That’s a power-trio of traits,…

Witsand Caravan Park, middle camp, Witsand Witsands is right at the mouth of the Breede River. It’s a very popular fishing spot and reasonably close to the Malgas pont.You need to cross the Breede River on the pont if you want to visit Cape Infanta, which is on the southern banks of the Breede River mouth. The Witsands Caravan Park has some 50 camping sites, all electrified, sharing water taps. The water is municipal and drinkable. There isn’t much shade, with the exception of a few spots. 028 713 7868 witsand@hessequa.gov.za Arniston Caravan Park, Arniston The Arniston Resort is on the hill to your right as you drive into Arniston. The resort has 116 caravan- and campsites with electrical points, and a large men’s and women’s ablution block which is…

Our family is new to camping; we purchased our own caravan only at the beginning of 2015. I had caravanned as a child with my folks, so I’m delighted that my family has taken to the camping lifestyle. I was also very excited to see your ‘Blast from the Past’ article that featured the Roamer folding caravan. This prompted me to write in and tell you about the little blessing that has allowed our family of four (we have two small kids) access to the wonderful world of caravanning. ‘Winifred’ as we’ve decided to call her, is a 1966 Slipstream Mk 3 collapsible caravan that’s compact enough to be kept in our garage, and is easily towed by our ageing Astra Estate. The van’s tare is just 380 kg, but…

Camping has been part of my life since I can remember. And, from the original tent that my father made from parachute silk, to the setup I have now, I’ve always believed that one’s gear should be adaptable, lightweight and reasonably priced. We used to camp in a Slipstream Safari Mk4, in the back of bakkies and in tents. After retiring recently, we started touring; which opened up a whole new can of worms, as one wants to be able to set up and break down camp easily and quickly. After my last bakkie was expropriated from my driveway one night, I tried tenting with a Venter trailer behind an SUV, but then decided to buy a second-hand Mercedes-Benz Vito. I’ve converted the Mercedes so that we can sleep in…

Wow! That was my first reaction. I was driving down the long driveway to the Klipdraai Caravan Park which is situated on the willow-poplar- and mulberry-fringed banks of the Klip River. The park is set on a long lazy curve of the river and can be found in Rothdene, a small town near Meyerton in the Witwatersrand. The park is 50 kilometres from central Johannesburg - no more than a 40-minute drive. You feel welcome from the moment you check in at the gate with Oom Gert, who wears a big leather hat. Without a doubt, this caravan park is one of the neatest I have come across while working for Caravan & Outdoor Life. It’s an exceptionally large park, with 340 campsites. There are six large, first-class ablution blocks…

When you’re on a long road trip and your other half is going to have a big birthday en route, best you research the venue to see if it suits your personal preferences. I thought I’d played it safe, by booking two nights at the Ai-Ais campsite towards the end of our 30-day long campervan journey through the Kalahari and Namibia. I had a plan that Annette and I would swim in the inviting warm pools I’d seen on the website, then perhaps go for a birthday supper at the smart-looking restaurant, and just relax under the cool palms in what looked like a pristine and uncrowded campsite. Of course, this was all based on the little internet research I’d done before making our booking, and I’d relied heavily on…

Many caravanners can probably remember the days when most cars didn’t have air-conditioners, and one simply accepted that a trip across the Karoo in summer would be a steamy affair. The only solution in those days was to fit an aftermarket unit or to have a fan on the dashboard ready to impale itself on the passenger's face in the event of a sudden stop. But, nowadays, even the smallest passenger cars have air conditioners as standard, as do the sort of upmarket vehicle-chassis onto which most motor homes are built. But there are some of our tribe who still tow with an old-faithful, pre-air-con-era vehicle - or, as in our case, have a home-built campervan based on a commercial delivery van, in which an air conditioner was considered unnecessary.…