Camping in the Cederberg with a newborn baby

Posted on 30 March 2011

I have always been an adventurous person. As soon as I graduated from university, the first thing I did was pack my bags and hop on a plane.  Six years and four continents later, I now find myself living in Cape Town with my boyfriend and our one-year-old son.

After the birth of my baby boy, I vowed that I’d never let my adventurous spark fizzle out.  So, when he was only 18 days old, my boyfriend and I took our little family of three on a weekend retreat to the Algeria campsite, located in the majestic Cederberg.

Given the stresses that go along with having your first child, we figured that some fresh air and the great outdoors would be the perfect way to recharge our batteries.  We were right.

After sorting out the camping gear, we crammed it (and every last piece of baby paraphernalia) into the car.  Two hours later, we realised that the concept of travelling light doesn’t apply to people with kids.  Every inch of the car was full, and most of it was for the smallest member of our family, who was oblivious to our hard work. Surprise, surprise.

Hoping for a peaceful trip, we headed off during his early morning “˜nap time’.  If our plan backfired, and he happened to wake up, we had plenty of repetitive kiddies’ songs memorised.  On Top of Spaghetti and Eensy Weensy Spider were surefire hits in our home. Annoying yes, but as parents we were willing to do anything for some peace and quiet.

En route we picked up some coffee and a few snacks for the three-hour journey ahead.  No South African road trip is ever complete without a bag of droëwors and some biltong, so we made sure we bought enough to see the trip through. As we left the city, we could see Table Mountain in the rear-view mirror and a long open road ahead – our first trip had finally begun.

Our baby settled into dreamland just after we passed the Engen on the N7.  ‘Right,’ I said, ‘it’s time for some “˜big-person’ music.’  I quickly scanned through our collection of CDs, and popped in one of our old ELO albums. All over the World streamed through the speakers. At last, something other than Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

Along the way, we were in complete awe of the countryside around us. The scenery was phenomenal. Vast valleys with a backdrop of staggering hillsides and mountains surrounded us. Vineyards, sheep and rooibos farms were scattered in between.  I couldn’t help but wonder to myself if the farm animals knew just how incredible their homes were, or if they had somehow become immune to its grandeur and beauty.

We drove past town after town.  Philadelphia to Malmesbury, Mooreesberg to Picketberg and Citrusdal to Clanwilliam, each place different and interesting.  It was hard to imagine that a thriving city was only a short distance away.

As the day went on the air became hot and the sunlight streamed into the car. The paper bags, once full of mouth-watering biltong, began to show translucent oil circles from the fat. If we had had any doubts about the purchase of our new family car with all of the extra features, they certainly weren’t tugging at our guilty conscience today.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Although the drive was long, the journey was incredibly rejuvenating. Being able to escape from our everyday routine, and have the chance to finally talk to each other about things other than children was reason enough to take this trip.

The road became bumpy as we made the transition from pavement to dirt.  Some sections were a bit rough, but we managed to pull through.  When we were only about 10-15 minutes away from the campsite, the baby woke up from his peaceful slumber and demanded to be changed and fed right away! Despite the interruption, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch our legs a bit.  The break also gave us the chance to appreciate the sight of the rocky mountains that towered above.

Finally at the campsite, we were warmly greeted at the gate by one of Algeria’s friendly workers.  Although we had made a booking in advance, she explained to us that they had a few vacant spots available in case we wanted to trade up.  After debating the pros and cons of all the available spots, we finally settled on one.

It didn’t take us long to realise just how magical our campsite was. Not only was it right by the water, but it also had large trees for shade, a picnic table, braai facilities and a view of the mountainside that was to die for. Our well-chosen spot was close enough to the ablutions, but far enough away from the other campers so we wouldn’t disturb them, should the baby wake up in the night.  Having been raised in British Columbia, Canada, I often went camping in the open bush, and had never really spent any time at a campsite with designated spots, never mind flushable toilets. Hot water was a complete impossibility. So, as soon as I found out that I could have a hot shower the next day, I was excited beyond all belief.

While my boyfriend was setting up camp, I took the baby in the carry pouch and went for a walk around the grounds.  Algeria is comprised of about 48 fairly-spacious sites, and is situated in a little river valley within the Cederberg mountain range.  Running through the grounds is a small river that splits the camping area in two, and acts as a bit of a sound barrier between neighbouring sites. In the middle of the grounds is a concrete bridge that doubles as a dam wall. When we crossed it, we could hear the sounds of laughter and splashing water upstream. Some of the other visitors must have decided to escape the heat of the sun and take a refreshing swim in the river’s lazy waters.  On our way back we came across some campers enjoying a braai, and a group of people taking part in a donkey cart ride around the campsite. Further down, we were passed by a number of kitted-out, dirty hikers returning from a strenuous day of exploring. Although our plan on this trip didn’t include hiking, there are apparently a number of great hiking and climbing possibilities available in the area.

By the time the baby and I had returned from our walk, our tent was up, our gear was unpacked and our fire was smoking.

Although we had planned to give the little one a sponge bath for the night, we were pleased to find that the washroom facilities were equipped with proper bathtubs for kids.  Next time, all we have to pack is a small plug as opposed to a clunky baby bath.

Just as if we were at home, we quickly washed, dressed and fed the baby.  Without any fuss he fell asleep in his travel bassinet, and we zipped up the tent. Finally, the night was ours.

The sun had gone down, the air was cool, and the stars were out in full fashion.  We lit some candles around the fire, unfolded the camping chairs, and enjoyed our first dinner in the great outdoors as parents. I looked at my boyfriend and said, ‘We should really do this more often.’






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