East London - Cannon Rocks, south of Port Alfred and located on the fringes of the Greater Addo Elephant Park, is one of those places where waves pound the rocks and shifting dunes constantly change the landscape.
The dunes move so frequently that a boardwalk down to the main beach is almost completely concealed, with just its wooden poles peering out of the snowy sands. Yet you can safely walk for miles along the shore.
The Cannon Rocks Holiday Resort is comprised of caravan sites and campsites sheltered by trees and shrubs, with immaculate ablution blocks. There are also a couple of chalets tucked under trees.
My chalet had a big open-plan lounge-cum-bedroom with a large flat-screen TV and a very comfortable mattress, a dining room with a huge indoor braai facility, a fully equipped kitchen, and a shower and toilet.
There is a big public lapa and swimming pool. Birdsong competes with the sound of distant waves.
During long walks the only footprints on the beach were mine and the only people I encountered were three working for the Environmental Department picking up any offending plastic.
Cormorants waddled along the beach, flew overhead or sheltered behind bushes.
A notice at the caravan park tells the visitor what to do if he or she finds a stranded seal pup or penguin. Clearly this is a community in tune with nature.
High on a dune, facing out to sea, are the cannons, which were dragged up from the beach. Near them is the start of a 7km walk, which runs through part of the elephant park. Meandering over vegetated dunes, it ultimately wanders down to the beach, making for a pleasant circular walk.
The beach dunes are also home to coarse grasses, shells ground up by the power of the waves and abrasive winds, and what looks like bands of shale.
Obviously the area is not always beaten by the wind (although it is said to be one of the best beaches for kitesurfing, and is home to the Cannon Rocks Kiteboarding Classic) or it would not be the popular resort that it is.
You can walk along the shore to neighbouring Boknesstrand (what an intriguing name – I had visions of a weird antelope making a nest to bed down in at night) and historical Diaz Cross, recalling that Bartholomew Diaz came ashore along this coast.
Try an amazing drive, meandering through farmlands, where cows graze placidly. Some have huge udders, and clearly are phenomenal milk producers.
Farm houses dating back to the early settlers dot the land. The road also runs along the edge of cliffs, giving glorious views of the ocean beyond the blindingly white dunes of Alexandria, which are said to be part of the biggest coastal dune forest in the world.
Finally the road passes through the Woody Cape section of the elephant park. Sacred ibis sunning themselves, and a splendid bushbuck bounding across the road were further highlights.
l Cannon Rocks Holiday Resort. Tel: 046 654 0043; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: www.cannonrocks.co.za.
Sunday Tribune