We finally got to go!! This trip to Cannon Rocks was postponed so many times we had begun to wonder if we ever would go, but in the end we made it. We arrived on the Saturday morning and met my brother Peter and his wife Cheryl, from East London. After setting up on a lovely double plot we settled down to enjoy our stay. The caravan park is beautifully laid out with paved roads, lots of wind breaks, built in braais and stunning ablutions. There’s a swimming pool, a recreation room with a pool table, table tennis and darts, an adjoining TV room and a lapa with braais and wood burning stoves. There are also a number of self catering units for hire. All in all, it’s a great place for families.
This time of the year, September, the weather can be extremely variable, with lots of wind, as we discovered. If you look closely at the image of our vans below, you’ll notice all the storm straps and extra guy ropes. Thanks to these we weathered an incredible gale. 
Cannon Rocks is about 130 km from Port Elizabeth on the Port Alfred (R72) road. It’s a place we have driven past dozens of times but never been to, as I suspect is the case for most people. What made us think of going there was the reports of a great caravan park, which it was. The name comes from the fact that two cannons were discovered in the sea there, one of which is thought to be from the São João Baptista, which was wrecked off the coast in 1622.
The township was set up in 1967 by the farm owner, Stoffel Potgieter, hence Potgieter Street and Alice Road, the main road in the village, named after his wife. Today it’s a charming little village that is renowned for kite boarding, wind surfing and fishing. There’s one little shop at the caravan park, and a small restaurant, so if you’re not into quiet or being on the beach it’s not the place for you. The beach is beautiful and you can walk for kilometres in either direction. There’s a 7km trail on the west side of the village in the Addo Reserve which takes one through the coastal forest and back along the beach.
Read more about Cannon Rocks here
On the east side you can walk to Kwaaihoek, where Bartolomeu Dias set up a cross on his journey on 12th March, 1488. I’d wanted to see this for years, after visiting the replica of his ship in the museum in Mossel Bay (Read more here). It fascinated me that Dias could sail all the way from Portugal in this little ship and still make it back. Somewhere off the west coast they were struck by a storm that blew them nearly 1000km off course, far to the south of the Cape. They sailed back north and made landfall at Mossel Bay, having missed the Cape of Good Hope all together. From there they sailed east and are believed to have got as far as the mouth of the Great Fish river before turning round. On the way back they stopped and erected the cross, or padrao, at Kwaaihoek. It’s a 3.7km walk from the mouth of the Boknes lagoon along the beach (Boknes is a neighbouring village just east of Cannon Rocks). Peter and I set out to walk there one morning in a fresh easterly wind. It was worth it! Kwaaihoek is a little headland jutting out from the sandy beaches on either side of it and the cross is on top. The cross is a replica of the original which is now in the Wits library. The views from the deck are amazing and I was awed to be there.
Dias Cross at Kwaaihoek ————-Original at Wits———View back to Boknes
Half way back we passed a guy heading into the wind on a mountain bike and commiserated with him on the hard going. When we got back to the car park at Boknes he arrived a minute or two later, having ridden all the way there and back! He was grinning from ear to ear and said that he’d never been so fast on the bike. He literally flew back – the wind was that strong!
While there isn’t much in the way of eating out in Cannon Rocks, it’s only a short drive to Bushman’s River and Kenton-on-Sea, where there are several eateries, as well as a few interesting shops. (See more here) There is lots to do and see in the surrounding area. One day we took a drive through the the farms and a portion of the Alexandria forest on the dirt road. We had hoped to see the coral trees in flower in the forest, but were too late, most had bloomed a few weeks earlier. This road offers magnificent views over Woody Cape, Bird Island and the Alexandria dune field. This is the largest dune field in South Africa and holds special memories for us. Carol spent many days in the dunes while at university studying the hairy footed gerbil, a delightful sandy coloured rodent with large hind legs like a miniature kangaroo. It is a resident of the bush pockets between dunes.
Alexandria dune fields——————————————————Hairy footed gerbil
The road continues on to Alexandria where one can visit the Quinn Sculpture Garden. From there it’s a short drive back on the tar to the Cannon Rocks turn off.
One of the joys of camping is the amazing people we meet and this trip was no exception. Soon after we arrived with our Tinys, we watched two enormous motor homes set up next to us. We had to smile at the contrast with our small vans! But no matter the difference in accommodation, they were like minded folks and we enjoyed a good chat. Another couple we met had a wonderful motto on the back of their van: “You’re never too old to play outside”. Hear, hear! As usual the time went by faster than we would like and it was time to pack up and head back home. We will definitely go back to Cannon Rocks, but next time it’ll be in April/May when the weather’s better.
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