Camping at Moolmanshoek

We do these things not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. – quote seen on poster in the camp’s ablution block.

We went camping at Moolmanshoek. It ‘s about an hour and a half’ s drive from Ladybrand so it wasn’t too far for us. The scenic views, open fields, beautiful sandstone, braai facilities, clean and neat ablution blocks and helpful staff make it a very enjoyable camping venue.

When we arrived it was windy and rainy and when we left the wind made packing up quite a challenge. Leo said the wind was even worse than PE’s wind… I don’t think it beat PE’s gail force winds of last weekend but it was close! Fortunately, Saturday ‘s weather was perfect for camping and all our activities for that day!

We went for a hike up the mountain to a sandstone cave. The kids really enjoyed it and I was so impressed with their climbing skills and stamina. The venue’s dogs joined us on the trail. Their pug, which we called Frank, seemed to be having a tough time and sounded like he was having constant asthmatic attacks. But he survived. (Although we didn’t see him again for the rest of that day.) Zoe, who is 4, did the whole trail barefoot which was indeed very impressive!

Minette went horse riding which sounded fun for her because she can ride well. The rest of us went 4x4ing by car on a guided tour. Some parts were quite scary for me but Marcus seemed to be in control of the vehicle so that calmed me. The kids weren’t scared at all and Natey even slept most the way! It was very scenic and our guide, who rode all the way on horseback was good and helpful.

We were worried about our caravan making it on the gravel road on the way to Moolmanshoek but the gravel road is a hundred times better than the actual tar road. The road between Ladybrand and Clarens is really in a terrible state at the moment…potholes are everywhere. Maggie and Simon’s axle of their caravan even broke from the bad state the road is in… It wasn’t a great start for them but the fix-it-up team came to their rescue and they got to the camp and back home safely.

We braaied the Friday evening, had preggo rolls on Saturday for lunch and Driekie and Milene made a potjie for supper. (I need that sauce recipe, Milene!) Adri made an absolutely delicious salad and she made breakfast with Mike and Minette this morning. Maggie had a good idea to bring cheese, biscuits and fruit which she put out as a snack platter just when we were finished setting up our tents.

There wasn’t great cellphone signal, MTN was a bit better than Vodacom but it was nice to be submersed in nature.

Our kids had a blast! On Friday night, Natey was so excited, he only fell asleep at 10pm because I forced him to finally lie down in his bed. He told me we must “stay here for a long, long time!”

It was a very lekker weekend! Thanks everyone. 😊