Velddrif, Cape West Coast

Velddrif brings to mind the Berg River, fishermen, bokkoms and beautiful beaches. Velddrif is one of the small fishing villages that dot this part of the 'forgotten' West Coast; villages where a visitor is greeted with silence, the space to explore, and where time slows inexplicably. This part of South Africa is one of the few places where one can, almost immediately, feel the pull of an era when time hastened no-one, and only the sea, the wind and the landscape had any effect upon you.

It's not surprising to discover that the West Coast Gallery in Velddrif displays art collected from over 100 artists in the region, including work submitted by local fishermen. The town and the surrounds beg to be captured, whether in word or on canvas. Velddrif lies just a few kilometres from where the Berg River meets the sea at St Helena Bay. The next town north of here is Elands Bay and one would need to turn off the N7 at Morreesburg or Piketberg to get here.

The origin of the name of the town comes from a time when a local farmer brought his stock to find an area to graze across the river and they needed to pass through a drift in the veld. And Laaiplek is where the wheat harvest from the Sandveld was loaded (laai means load in Afrikaans) onto smaller boats, after making its way down the Berg River, when it then crossed the sand banks to larger ships en route to Cape Town.

Right on the shoreline, a little further north of Laaiplek, lies Dwarskersbos, a pretty little seaside hamlet of typical West Coast houses, although the odd double storey has made its way here already. What appears to be a barren, windswept landscape is simply an illusion that disappears when the richness of bird life, plant life and the sea reveal their true natures, and the fynbos works its charm on all who come here.