There are mornings that don’t need a plan.
In Struisbaai, some of the best ones begin at the harbour.
Go early enough and the village hasn’t quite gathered momentum yet. The light is softer, the sea feels closer and the harbour is still what it has always been before it became somewhere visitors came to photograph: a working part of the town.
Fishing remains woven into Struisbaai’s identity. Boats come and go, fishermen bring in their catch, gulls hover hopefully nearby and people stop to see what the day has brought in from the sea. Cape Agulhas Municipality describes the harbour as one of the town’s defining attractions and notes that visitors can still see traditional fishermen returning with their daily catch.
That is precisely why we like it.
There is nothing particularly complicated to do here.
Walk.
Watch.
Buy fresh fish if the timing is right.
Find somewhere for coffee.
Stand at the water’s edge longer than you intended.
And if the weather is good, carry on towards Struisbaai’s long white beach. The coastline stretches for kilometres, which means there is almost always space to walk far enough for the village to disappear behind you. The municipality describes Struisbaai’s beach as an uninterrupted stretch of white sand extending for roughly 14 kilometres.
The Cliff Haven way to do it
Don’t turn the harbour into something to tick off before breakfast.
Go without watching the clock.
If boats are coming in, stay.
If nothing much is happening, that is rather the point.
Grab something to eat, wander along the water and allow your morning to become whatever it becomes.
You are at the Southern Tip. There is very little reason to rush.
Afterwards
Cape Agulhas is just down the coast, so the harbour works beautifully as the beginning of a Southern Tip day.
But you could just as easily head back to Cliff Haven, make another coffee and spend the rest of the morning doing absolutely nothing.
We approve of that too.
