I am rather embarrassed with myself. It would seem that I have become beach snob. Not, I hasten to add, as bad as those ones who will only ever be seen on Camps Bay or Clifton Fourth (or whatever the trendy Clifton Beach is this season). But when I found myself faced with this today:
I was actually a bit disappointed.
Yep. I know. It looks beautiful – it is beautiful. But I wanted more. I wanted bodyboardable waves. And an occasional tree. There was none.
The beach is question is Koppie Alleen in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, previously somewhere we’d been wanting to visit and now, somewhere that we have visited. We paid R40 to get in, saw some zebras, many bontebok and several ostriches. And then this, tucked away (literally) miles from anywhere. But the rocks were sharp on the kids’ hands and feet, the sand wasn’t good for building things and the sea was difficult to get into, stay in, and get out of again. And those waves were tempered by a reef about 50 yards out. Pfft.
It was a good day out though, and my beach snobbery was sated by a visit to Struisbaai and some decent waves on the way back to the cottage. But I still feel bad for feeling bad about what is obviously a stunning little hideaway on the Whale Coast. And we’ll certainly be giving it another go sometime soon.