OnTap Magazine

C ards on the table: I am not a fan of camping. is is not a popular stance in South Africa, I know, but then I am not South African. I never really camped as a kid in rainy England and then, in my 20s, a ve- month overland trip from Cairo to Cape Town, spending every night in a leaky two-person tent, really knocked any camperlust right out of me. But despite my desire to never sleep in a tent again, I have always wanted to try out a campervan. It has all of the pluses I associate with camping – daily hikes, cooking on coals, gazing at stars instead of series on Net ix – without any of the downsides. You don’t have to keep erecting and dismantling your accommodation, you have somewhere to sit if it rains, there’s proper glassware to drink your beer from and most of all, there’s no need to traipse to the bushes or ablutions to tend to that midnight call of nature. Like many of you, I had big travel plans this year. And like most of you, my plans were thwarted by the pandemic. Losing an overseas trip was hugely disappointing but I never tire of re-exploring South Africa and of course our local tourism industry desperately needs a boost. So when the opportunity to roam the Western Cape in a motorhome arose, I jumped on it quicker than you could say “no need to pack the tent pegs”. e itinerary was quickly chosen – we would head for the Overberg, stopping, of course, at a few breweries along the way. THE PERFECT VEHICLE You might think the idea of merging a trip that has a big focus on driving and a trip with a big focus on beer would be kind of counterintuitive, but we quickly found that a campervan is the perfect vehicle for a couple of travelling beer lovers. First of all, when you rent a campervan, it comes well equipped. Very well equipped, meaning you’ll always have a bottle opener and range of glassware. You also, of course, have a fridge. None of this business of having to continually buy ice, of nding places to refreeze your ice packs or of having to drink your rst beer of the afternoon in a somewhat tepid state while you will the others to rapidly cool down. Travelling by motorhome is also a perfect t for those with young families. Something about driving around in a house and sitting at a table just excites kids, even if they can’t actually settle in and do any colouring because their parents are campervan novices and every time they round a corner the puzzle books, crayons and card games are dispersed all over the van’s oor. Maybe that was part of the attraction, but on our 90-minute drive from Cape Town to Honingklip Brewery in Bot River, we didn’t hear a single “how long until we get there”. It was a family record. Honingklip is kid-friendly and dog-friendly, with board games inside and spacious lawns with a jungle gym outside. e beers are all Belgian-inspired, from the fragrant witbier to the rich and warming quad. As we ordered a taster tray, it was time to have the designated driver conversation. It usually involves a lengthy discussion and a lot of negotiating but this time it was easy. I’d been nervous to take the wheel through Cape Town’s Friday afternoon tra c, having never driven anything larger than a VW Golf before. But now we were far from the city, I couldn’t wait to take the driving seat and get us to our campsite, so instead of ordering my own taster tray and following it up with a glass or two of my favourite, I settled for a couple of sips and some takeaway shopping. Being able to pack those beers straight into the fridge and knowing we’d have somewhere beautiful to sip them later meant I really didn’t miss having the taproom experience. IN THE DRIVING SEAT e southern Overberg is home to a growing number of breweries, two of which are in Hermanus. Sitting in the industrial area of the town, Hermanus Brewery opens each afternoon for pints of the excellent Old Harbour lager, but be sure to call ahead as opening hours sometimes vary. On the main road, e Brewery at Hemel- en-Aarde serves beers from a few Cape Town breweries as well as their own ales. Continuing the drive east, you reach one of the oldest microbreweries in the country, Birkenhead. Book ahead for a tour and tasting or just rock up for a sampler tray and a pint to enjoy on the lawns, with views of the Klein River Mountains as a backdrop. Best of all, Stanford is so small that you can park your campervan, ON THE HOP A pint of pale ale at Old Potter's Inn Honingklip Brewery - kid-friendly, pet-friendly and beer nerd friendly. Mountain, beer, blue sky and a live ninja show! 50 | Summer 2020 | ontapmag.co.za