Gone Fishing

On a recent caravanning trip to Die Dam with my friend Rob, we decided to put his Landy through its paces on the powdery white sand roads in search of prime fishing spots.

- Stuart Reichardt

I was a bit concerned that the Landy would get scratched by the dense fynbos that encroaches on all the sand roads in the area, but Rob’s nonchalant answer of “it’s only a car” dispelled my fears.

Situated between Gansbaai and Struisbaai (Western Cape), the campsite at Die Dam leads into the Quoin Point Nature Reserve and to some good fishing grounds along the undulating coastline. To get there, you need to negotiate very soft conditions underfoot which can be done only in a 4X4, so don’t forget to take along your sand recovery tracks and a shovel.

Luckily, Rob’s Land Rover Discovery 3 managed the soft sand and occasional rocky conditions with relative ease. If you ask Rob what size engine is in his Disco, his response is simple: “BIG”.

Sharp inclines and declines are common to the sandy roads in the area, which are essentially dunes populated with dune grasses and fynbos.

There are certain patches that require extra ground clearance, so we had to initiate the air suspension of the Landy − lifting the vehicle off its axles, similar to the hydropneumatic suspension used in the old Citroens back in the day.

An uplifting experience... which also helped to get the caravan coupler on and off the Landy’s tow hook.

Die Dam is a camping and caravan site owned by the municipality. The ablutions are old school but neat, and the showers are hot and have ample hangers for clothing, which is always a plus.

The sign on the wall indicating the dire need to conserve water was incongruous, as two of the taps at the wash basins were running freely because of worn washers, and I had to switch off one of the toilets at its tap on the wall as that, too, was running freely between the cistern and the bowl.

The management at Die Dam definitely need to look into their water wastage as soon as possible.