Where to pitch a tent and still have money for petrol
I have always wanted to ask this question, but after an incident I guess I might as well do it now. Two weeks ago my 4-year old son wanted "to sleep in the tent and watch the stars". Can one ever say no to a child for wanting to do that? I threw everything into my kombi and headed for the closest caravan park, "Die Skip" at Melkbosstarnd. It was already getting dark so I thought it would be the quickest and cheapest option from Table view. All we wanted to do was sleep in a tent, watch the stars and the next morning get up and come home. Apart from the fact that the lady at the gate first refused us entry because it was "after 5 without a reservation", I managed to convince her to let us in for the sake of a clearly disappointed 4-year old. When she told me that it was going to cost me R155 for that privilege, a clearly disappointed dad took his son home and promised him the world instead in order not to go against his own principles of paying that much money for one night in a tent. A cheap father maybe, but when you think of it, all I wanted was a relatively safe place to pitch a tent for the night. This brings me to my actual question regarding accommodation.
When one travels on a bike for a week or more, one obvioulsy has to stay over at night. Hotels and guesthouses might give you the comfort of a nice shower and a soft bed, but when sleeping is the only thing you want to do until you are dirty and tired enough to need a shower and a soft bed, what are your options for just pitching a tent until the sun comes up again and you can get on your bike an continue your tour? I don't mind paying between R60-80 a night, but R155?
From your experience, where is in general the best and safest places to stay over on a bike trip? Do you guys stay next to the road, on farms, at police stations?? Is it still safe in SA to sleep anywhere other than in caravan parks and guesthouses? Any ideas??
(PS This is for bike trips, not for my kid's star gazing, I promised him a proper camping trip as soon as the weather changes back to normal again)
I too have a problem with paying exorbitant fees for camping.
As Charles so fondly reminds me, I have very deep pockets and very, very
short arms!
When you hear of places that you can still stay in far flung
dorptjies of our country at a B&B for R150 why should we pay the same
for a campsite?
I know people that still stealth camp when on bike
trips, but sometimes this can be a little bit too raw, especially for girls!
Sometimes it is cheaper to camp in the garden of a backpackers than a recognized camping site.
Wilddogs (oops), forum that should not be named, forum has a thread
of where to stay, and not to stay, and they managed to do things on a
shoestring budget, my style!
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=29357.0
A bit on the side (hijack):
I suppose I am in the minority when it comes to BMW club members, who
are willing to spend a whole lot more on a nights camping that I am! I
would think that if a club ride is organised the bulk bargaining power
should be strong enough to get a camp spot for R50 or less per night and
meals at reasonable rates, not more than I could have a decent pizza or
pasta at a restaurant in town.
I have asked Warren why we cannot have cheaper weekends away and this is part of the response I got from him:
"Our rides are oversubscribed. This indicates a lot of support for rides with backup and that the prices are acceptable."
- hijack off!
Rhian, nobody is forcing you to ride with the BMW club. The choice is simple - if you want to rough it a bit, have sometimes pretty random organization, keep the cost low because there is no backup trailer etc, then ride with the Wild Dogs.
If you prefer to have more predictable planning and backup, then you must pay the extra cost it requires - no matter which club you ride with. You cannot get a Rolls Royce for the price of a mini, no matter how many you buy in bulk.
I have ridden with the Wild Dogs a number of times - they are great guys, and some of their rides are top-drawer. It is just a bit unpredictable, and I would be careful not to subscribe Julie on such a ride without doing a lot of my own research first.
Our aim at the BMW Club is to provide well-run, predictably pleasant rides in a safe environment, that our members can enjoy without major risk or discomfort. And we are not a voice in the wilderness - our rides are oversubscribed. If that is not your cup of tea, you are knocking on the wrong door.
Hi Manie, the safest is always at a recognised venue with friends, or with a group such as the Wild Dogs, BMW Club or someone like Mouton van Zyl's trips.
Wild Dog trips are generally great, though possibly not ideal for taking kids along, unless you want them to grow up very fast!!! 
Mouton's trips are often family oriented, well organised and cater for all levels of riding.
As has been mentioned, the BMW club has MANY rides, both official club rides and unofficial rides amongst the members so look out for them too.
If safety is a priority, the BMW rides are probably your best bet as we always have a medical aid bag (regularly re-stocked), trained medics (regularly re-tested), backup trailer (regularly maintained) and people to help with whatever eventuality may arise, so you won't get left on your own in the wilderness if you have a breakdown and we generally get preferential rates which keep the overall costs down.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Pete
With regard to Rhian's comments on the costs of camping. I have been on two of Warren's camping weekends and I am going on another one this coming weekend. My view is that the pricing of the club's trips and tours is excellent for what you get. I would imagine that the bulk of the cost goes into the backup vehicle. To my mind this is an essential component of any trip consisting of a fairly large number of bikes. On the first Eastern Cape trip the backup vehicle was needed on four occasions. On both of Warren's trips the backup vehicle was needed - once for me when I fell over and broke a pannier. On each of these occasions the trip would have been disrupted and everyone inconvenienced had it not been for the backup vehicle.
Added to the backup vehicle one gets fed supper and breakfast plus the provision of clean ablutions and a place to pitch your tent. What you get for free is a fantastic experience in the company of a great bunch of people. I couldn't ask for more.
We have a good camping area at the Eendekuil Hotel, with hot water in the ablutions. Safe and sound @ R 35 p/p 4 year old kids are free of course.
Contact Magda 022 942 1030.
Not really necessary to for camping though - lots of space!
We have a good camping area at the Eendekuil Hotel, with hot water in the ablutions. Safe and sound @ R 35 p/p 4 year old kids are free of course.
Contact Magda 022 942 1030.
Not really necessary to for camping though - lots of space!
Magda, this sounds amazing. I shall certainly look for an opportunity to use your venue!
(We'll have to explain to the riders that the fact that we sometimes ACT like 4 year olds won't get us free accommodation! 
)
It seems like people don't take the real cost of the backup into consideration. There are a couple of cost factors involved: Fuel, Driver food, Driver accommodation, vehicle maintenance and some sundries as well.
AA Rates for the iX35 and D4D being used are around R 4-30 p/km.
The club does not have it's own vehicle, so a private individual is asked whether they would be interested in doing the backup. This person is doing the club a favour, and in return the club/trip pays for their meals and accommodation.
What is not obvious are the sundries/hidden costs. Tires being damaged and need to be replaced at great cost, damage to the vehicles themselves, and the excess that needs to be payed for repairs.
I for one have needed the backup on more than one occasion, and am quite happy to pay extra for that sense of security.
We cannot compare a club ride with all it's planning and systems in place, to a bunch of us hopping on our bikes and hitting the road without prior planning.
It seems my simple question as to where you guys think it is safe to sleep has turned into a debate about which club to ride with, the need/costs for back-up vehicles and whatever. I understand the benefits of riding with groups and I do that occationally, but my question was more related to where to sleep when I am riding on my own without a back-up vehicle and I just want to overnight at the lowest cost possible. When I am riding with two or more guys who "hopped onto our bikes", I am sure the possibilities change and sleeping behind a bush becomes an option.
But you guys can continue with the discussion, we all learn from it. ;-)
Magda, I am definitely going to try Eendekuil soon, but that would be more likely on a paragliding trip to Porterville than on my bike.
Sorry for the hijack.
Imhoff (Kommetjie) R120-00 for two people (no sigle person fee), and R30-00 per person after that.
Fish Hoek Beach Caravan Park R100-00 per site per day.
Chapmans Peak Cottages and Caravan Park - R120-00 for one person, R160-00 for two, R180 for 3.
Just did a quick google, don't know any of these sites.
Hi
Try Wild Olive farm near Tulbach. Cant remember the price but very good ablutions and small enough to be quiet. Beautiful farm and you can walk around. Also has cottages.
I always just let the camp sites know that I am coming by bike and that its not the scrambler types that are going to rip up the camp site and the farm and disrupt other campers.
Regards
Andrew
Manie, check out the Budget Brak's Getaways at your local bookstore - it has some good camping options plus cottages for rent; we've stayed in a few of the cottage options mentioned in the book & they've been great.
Web-wise, there's quite a bit available, a quick Google brings up options like
http://www.sa-venues.com/accommodation/camping-westerncape.php
Western Cape Caravan Parks / Camping in the Western Cape - The
Western Cape offers camping sites in popular holiday destinations - in
or near nature reserves and wildlife parks, near famous landmarks, on
the coast and on popular tourism routes.
http://campsa.co.za/
Welcome to this comprehensive directory of caravan and camping sites in
Southern Africa! We are proud to offer you the widest available list of
caravan and camp sites and we try to provide complete details and
contact information of each of the campsites listed.
http://www.linx.co.za/camps/provinces/wc35camp.html
From Atlantic seaboard & False Bay to various Western Cape regions
http://www.safarinow.com/destinations/western-cape/camping-caravanning.aspx
- includes some nice-looking options close-by
You also cannot go wrong if you want to pitch a tent at any SANParks camp - http://www.sanparks.org/. Incidentally, their tented camps around Cape Town are impressive, especially the one at Silvermine and the one near the entrance to the Cape Point Nature Reserve (Smitswinkel Bay). They also have two cottages on top of Table Mountain that can be rented if you want to take some friends along - check out the Overseers Cottage.
Have fun!
Karin
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