When I pictured a weekend in Betty’s Bay with a group of friends, I envisioned a time filled with relaxation, feet up on the balcony with the smell of braai in my nostrils and at a push some water action in the ocean. So it came as a surprise that as soon as we rounded the mountain, one guy pointed to the sand dunes in excitement, proclaiming that we hit the dunes at the break of dawn come Saturday morning.
This was potentially problematic given that firstly I don’t do early and secondly there wasn’t anything that resembled a sandboard in sight. The boys were willing to use anything that might propel them down a sandy cliff face, but that scary idea only lasted until I heard ecstatic yelling from the poolroom. They had found sandboards beneath the cupboard along with floor polish and other seemingly mismatched cleaning materials.
The sun was already fiercely hot by the time we got to the base of the dune. R10 got us access to slide down the sand and an additional R10 allowed us to park the car there. Armed with sunblock, an umbrella and two sand boards between six of us we trekked through the bushy trail to the sand.
The guys immediately began testing the slopes out, whilst I observed and played with my new Nikon. A few wipeouts here and there, but they had already found their groove. When my turn came to strap my feet in and head down what I though was a mighty steep climb, my board just wouldn’t budge. I was terrified of going really fast; but this slow pace was not cutting it. I quickly learnt that it was nothing a little Mr Min and floor polish couldn’t solve. I would’ve gone down at the speed of an olympic sandboarder had I not crouched so low and taken my clenched fist out of the sand. But there’s a first time for everything and in no time at all I was launching off the highest cliffs.
Not really. Instead I chose to go down on my bum squealing with glee. This was just as fast and almost as much fun. The umbrella was a lifesaver, as the sea breeze started to die down leaving us to cook on the mountain. If you ever thought hiking was taxing on your legs, try digging your feet into sand whilst attempting to move vertically upward. My thighs told the story the following day of not recognizing this as a previous activity of mine.
Boys being boys, they refused to only accept the exhilarating rides and built a ramp with sand and a flimsy piece of board abandoned on the slopes. I happily gave this a miss and captured the action instead.
The view over Betty’s Bay, the ocean and all the holiday houses below made the climbing well worth it. That and the fact that once you’ve huffed and puffed carrying the board to higher ground, you know the reward is great on the journey down.
Best thing you could do afterwards to cool down, is head to the main beach for surf. Clear water, moderate temperature and sweet little swell.
Location: If you’re coming form Cape Town along R44 into Betty’s Bay and facing the ocean, the dunes should be on the right-hand side of the Penguin Nature Reserve.
Bring: Sandboards and waxing/polishing materials for added speed. Sunblock, cap, cool clothing that covers enough of your body to avoid sand burn. R10 per person to use the dunes and R10 per car in the parking lot.
