It’s that time of the year again, my annual obligatory camping trip. Last year, we went on a camping trip along the Breede River. This time around, we combined a trip to the inaugural Ceres Cherry Festival with camping in Ceres. Although we popped into the festival on the Saturday afternoon, it was way too hot to spend the whole day there. We spent most of our day relaxing in the water back at the campsite.
Camping in Ceres at Petervale Guest Farm
We stayed at Petervale Guest Farm, which is an organic working farm in Ceres at the foot of the Skurweberg Mountains. The farm has cottages and campsites nestled within a pine forest. You can also book out a Tipi overlooking the dam and lounge around under the pine trees. Every morning, the staff tend to the farm animals and invite visitors to help them milk the cows and feed the chickens. It’s a fun activity to do if you are there with small kids.
We spent the days how all camping trips should be – swimming and kayaking at the dam, taking walks on the farm, and intermittently snacking and napping. The campsite offered the option to book a Kolkol, a wood-fired hot tub, which we fired up for the evening. I say ‘fired up,’ but it takes a couple of hours to get toasty. So we lit the fire when we arrived, and it was ready after supper.
God’s Bath Tub Hiking Trail
The farm has a short hiking trail that leads to a cool rock pool named “God’s Bath Tub.” All Trails describes it as a relatively easy, magical walk with mountain pools and waterfalls. Still, in my experience, whenever I see a hike described as relatively easy or flat, it often ends in tears. Thankfully, this time around it didn’t. It’s been a while since I’ve been hiking or even taken a long walk, for that matter. So I thought this 3.5 km walk would be a great way to ease back into it.
As soon as the morning sun hits the tent on a summer day, any thought of a morning lie-in burns away. Even though we set off early, it was still a very hot walk. The walk itself was lovely. Parts of the walk involved scrambling over rocks, which could tip the walk category to moderate. I don’t think you need to be super fit. But additional care was needed on the slippery rocks by the pools.
I had a good chuckle at myself because the older I get, the more stressful hiking becomes. Gone are the days of just jumping from rock to rock with reckless abandon. Now, as I glance over the ledge after a death-defying climb, I find myself asking, “Am I actually too old for this?” This short walk looked more like me shimmying on my bum down to the pool because the rocks are too smooth. Feeling uncertain about whether this action or simply standing will result in face-planting. And looking at the rickety bridge we are about to cross with suspicion, and wondering if it’s merely a bridge or the fourth sentence of my obituary.
When we reached the rock pool, it was well worth it. It is deep, cold and beautiful. There are one or two steps leading into the water, and from there it’s steep. I always enjoy swimming in rock pools, once I ignore the fact that it’s too dark to see what’s in the water, and stop wondering what just brushed my leg. It is all part of the adventure.
Camping in Ceres – The Verdict
There are a lot of small, annoying things about camping. However, what I do appreciate is the quiet. Nature’s quiet, that is. The rustle of leaves as the wind passes through. The bird’s wings as it passes from tree to tree, and their chirping. And how pretty the sun is as it shines through the netting on the tent at first light.
The bugs…the bugs I could do without!
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