White dunes and turquoise waters

Just three hours south of the bustling city centre of Cape Town lies the sleepy seaside town of Arniston. For more than 200 years, this quaint fishing village has managed to escape major development. Justin Fox spent some time exploring the picturesque holiday spot.

It was a bright blue spring day with veld flowers dancing to an early southeaster as we drove south, flanked by the yellow canola fields of the Overberg.

Arniston’s thatched cottages rose ahead of us, perched on the crest of
a line of dunes. Then the sea came into view and we pulled off to take in the sight. The first thing that captivates you about this place is its translucent, turquoise water.

But those calm shallows have a habit of turning treacherous, and many
ships have found their resting place along this shore. The town’s name originates from the tragic wreck of the Arniston troopship, which ran aground along this coast on 30 May 1815.

She was an English East Indiaman, homebound from Ceylon (Sri
Lanka) with 378 passengers, mostly soldiers. The Arniston struck a reef during a terrible storm. Only six people survived.