Are they joking?
In the latest magazine that dropped through the door on page 56 is an invite for motorhome tour around South Africa starting Cape Town in mid July 2024. Unfortunately that it probably the worst time of the year to visit Cape Town as it is the middle of the very rainy and cold winter as it will be mid winter. It is mentioned that people will have the opportunity ride the cable car to top of Table mountain. In mid winter this is a bit of a no go. I lived in Cape Town for twenty years!
It goes onto mention that you will be visiting Hermanus to see the Humpback whales mating and you are taken on a cruise. Anyone venturing out into False Bay in mid winter would be very foolish as the sea can get extremely rough. The area is known as the Cape of storms and for very good reason! Visiting Struisbaai beaches in mid winter will not be very pleasant and will not be delightful!
Mossel Bay is not so bad but again, not very pleasant in winter. With luck the pass from George to Oudtshoorn will be open as the Cango caves are quite spectacular and well worth teh visit at any time of the year. I lived in George for 2 years so I am very familiar with the area.
Cedarberg Wilderness area is mentioned and also wildflowers bursting into bloom. Unlikely that will happen as it gets very cold in the area and spring is in September after the tour has finished. As for visiting the other places it will not be very pleasant in mid winter.
If the tour was in the spring or summer months, it will be a fantastic tour and well worth the outlay. I think someone at the CAMC has got the dates for visiting that area of South Africa horribly wrong?
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We stayed in Cape Town just before Covid, in late October /Early November. Too windy for trips to Robben Island, no cable car up the mountain (too windy), a boat trip out in False Bay turned into a nightmare, with the boat having to return the long way round the shoreline to Simonstown, and all passengers off the top deck standing downstairs and holding on for dear life. July must be even worse.
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The best time of the year if you want to include Cape Town with cruises in any itinerary is probably from late January onwards when the south easter wind has faded. That wind can be exceptionally strong and unpleasant. However Cape Agulhas and garden route will be very pleasant and well worth the trip.
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My OH was in the Cape Town area, Hout Bay, around August time many years ago. The wind was so strong the sea was being blown backwards from the beach, and in the restaurant he was in with his colleagues you could feel the walls bending!! He saw some beautiful areas though and said it is well worth a visit - just at the right time time of year.
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On a visit back to my home town Cape Town we went on a yacht trip out to Robben Island and it was fantastic. The views of Cape Town with Table Mountain in the background were unbelievable!. It was summer.
We did not land on Robben Island however way back in the sixties I went onto Robben Island to fix some machines. It was mid winter and it was a very rough crossing. The other passengers were quite ill, but I was okay.
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We were in South Africa in February 2020, just before the pandemic swept across the world - having our temperatures taken on arrival at the airport was the first sign that anything was amiss!
We had 3 wonderful night in Kruger National Park, then flew down to Port Elizabeth (now renamed Gqeberha), drove along the garden route and finished in Cape Town which is a truly beautiful city. But even at that time of year one of the highlights, Table Mountain, is often inaccessible due to low clouds and mist. We were lucky that on our last day, with a very late flight home, we were able to go up in the cable car and appreciate the views.
Would love to return one day and explore the city further.
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Oh!! yes and not just in this case, I have pointed out many times to the club that info given when recommending sites on mainland europe is just not correct and i find it infuriating when you arrive at a recommended site and it is not just of the standard you are expecting, this was particularly noticeable for sites in the Mar Menor area of Spain when the sea was highly polluted for a number of years but the club kept pushing the area.
I think if i forked out £5k for an organised trip that turned out to be as bad as suggested i ink i would be demanding a refund,,, i notice there has been no response from the club to the post...no change there then
South Africa , in particular the Cape Town area is especially beautiful at the right time of year, had many a braai and eaten some very large T-Bone steaks
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Hopefully you had some boerewors with your T bone? All washed down with a nice cold Castle beer.
Another nice meal is Bobotie Malay style served on yellow rice with raisins. Pleasant tasting as curry is not the dominant factor. Of course bountiful choice of wines to enjoy with meals.
Another favourite is of course crayfish thermidor. Normally have two gigantic crayfish on your plate. Then of course you have the calamari!
For al the above you need sunny weather and not the cold damp weather. Who would want to leave sunny England and visit a place so that they have winter almost year round? LOL!
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