Trip 1 - planning

Well the week has had little time to focus on planning our first little road trip to get away and celebrate my birthday (9/11) - but I have driven the household mad as every thing I have been doing afterhours has included a map & included chatter about where we could go as well as the pro's & con's & the dilemma of accommodation availability.

The desire has been to head up the West Coast towards Namaqwaland in order to view the flowers - my preference in terms of travel is always last minute planning (usually the week before we due to leave) with a strong element of spontaneity. Well, what I had not realised is that accommodation is extremely limited in this region and most of the places that have caught my eye have been full given that it is their peak season! So slowly the intended trip has morfed and the route has changed as I receive feedback that the desired spot is full. Lesson to self for next year - book long in advance!

Another consideration is that we travelling with a 2 year old, so the distance in the car on any one stint cannot be too long otherwise I am sure it won't be fun for any of us. I have been researching quite a broad area that went from Lambert's Bay in the south, inland including the Northern Cedarberg, northwards to Nieuwoudsville (for some reason I have this intense desire to go to this town - who knows why?) and then towards the coast near the Namaqua National Park. I was particularly interested in sourcing accommodation in the Northern Cedarberg Area - the Biedouw Valley, but accommodation did not materialise (another trip for sure).

So I have now managed to secure accommodation at Melkboomsdrift Guest Lodge www.melkboomsdrift.co.za, on a farm between Vredendal & Lutzville. Something about the position appealed to me as we should be really close to the flowers, beach and mountain - hopefully easy day trips away & lots of entertainment for James. It also provided meals which I really don't feel like having to organise myself this time, so it all seems to be coming together.

Some interesting books that I have enjoying reading this week which have really been an inspiration in the planning & setting of the atmosphere:

• 4x4 Routes through Southern Africa - still not confident enough to do any of these serious routes, but certainly it has inspired me to really get into the vibe of off road travel
• Passes & Poorts (Getaway's top 30 scenic mountain routes in the Western Cape) - I have always loved the idea of driving remote mountain passes and done quite a few in my Honda previously which given its low chasis has not always been ideal
• The Greenwood Guide to South Africa & Namibia (Handpicked Accommodation) - love the idea that its sister book is about Accommodation in New Zealand which is another place I would love to do a serious road trip in a camper van one day. Plus, the choice of accommodation is brilliant - will certainly be testing a couple of their recommendations over the next few months
• Obviously lots of searching on the internet, but what I have realised is that a lot of these smaller spots just are not on the internet or are not set up suitably to be returned by a search engine

Anyway, that is about it - all that is left is to finish the week at work & then pack the car and start driving.