Aus, Luderitz and Duwisib Castle

You may remember, dear readers that we left you last at Canon Roadhouse. Well, we left Canon bright and early and headed for Aus along the C12. The road surface was excellent and we were able to keep up a sustained speed. We reached the tar road to Aus, the B4, in good time and pulled into the first picnic spot to re-inflate our tyres.

While there we noticed a police vehicle, lights flashing, stop next to us. This was the advance warning for an abnormal load grinding its way down the road. The most gigantic transformer was being hauled to Luderitz and we marveled at its size as it slowly rumbled past us.

With tyres good for tar, we set off and Alec informed me that it was my turn to drive, so hubby stretched out in the passenger seat and I started off after Ray and Alvan. Coming up a gentle rise, my heart stopped when I saw the abnormal load stopped literally just over the rise, in the middle of the road. I braked as quickly as I could and as the trailer was slowly moved to one side we were able to squeeze past with one wheel on the tar and the other on the verge. Alec thought that it had problems navigating the corner which was why it was stopped.

When we started out on this trip, we decided to make as few bookings as possible as we thought to make up some of the trip as we went. Well, our first disappointment came when we couldn’t get into Klein Aus Vista campsite at Aus. Still, it was to be expected as we hadn’t booked, but Ray had spoken to the owner of a tiny campsite situated in the middle of the village. We think it was called Aus Guesthouse, and when we drove in we were not at all sure. This tiny place with 4 campsites was opposite the garage and didn’t look at all promising. Well, beggars can’t be choosers, so we both chose sites with some shade and settled in. Surprisingly this wasn’t all bad, it was quiet and the ablution block was sparkling clean. It wasn’t all wine and roses as we discovered that only one shower worked in both ladies and gents but apart from that it was great for a quick stay.

While setting up Lizzy, our Gecko caravan, Alec discovered that we had lost one of the plastic feet on our stabilizers, so he used a block of wood under the stabilizer to act as a foot. Poor Lizzie now had a peg leg, or rather a peg foot. Never mind, she’s made of stern stuff and suffered no ill effects!

Next morning Ray and Alvan visited Kolmanskop, but having lived in Oranjemund for 10 years, we had visited there before, so we chose to make a dash for Luderitz and do a little shopping, before hightailing it out before the wind came up and threw sand in our faces.  Just inside the Namib-Naukluft Park, we ran into the wild horses. We watched the small herd for a while marveling at how little there was to eat but these lovely animals manage to survive in a very hostile environment.

We marveled at these wild horses in the Namib-Naukluft Park

Leaving Aus and our strange little camp, we made for At Krohnenhof Lodge, as I wanted to visit Duwisib Castle. Travelling up the C13 was painless and we travelled smoothly. We then turned onto the D707, so we could enjoy the Tiras Mountains. The start of the road was good, we then hit deep sand, and then some hard bits and finally some loose, grey rocky parts for the last 20 or so kilometers. I promise you the last kilometers tested the strength of my bra straps and the tightness of our fillings!

Along this road we came across a grader doing his best to grade the soft sand. We thought it was a little pointless when we passed him but then when we got to the last kilometers we thought he was really wasted in the soft sand!

Nevertheless, we did stop to admire the view. The scenery was spectacular with the Tiras Mountains a treat. We stopped and the contrasting colours were stunning. A wide blue sky that stretched for miles, red dunes with some green trees at their base, a wide plain of golden grass and then the stunning mountains of browns and greys. The silence was complete and you could feel your soul settling down. What a place!

We did not envy this bike tour that we came across on a bad section of road. Utter madness and I’m not sure what they would have made of the thick sand. I think they would have needed a lot more than what they were riding!

Kronenhof Lodge is magnificent and anyone travelling this way should make a point of staying here. We camped and each campsite is situated far from the others, and has its own ablution block. Sparkling clean and so very well appointed. When we arrived Rozelle du Preeze, wife of Dus and owner of Gecko 34, was there to greet us. She made us feel very welcome and we settled in.

The next morning we set off for Duwisib Castle. I was so looking forward to this but sadly when we arrived we were told that the castle was shut and that it has been that way since 2020. There is a caretaker that may or may not be there and he may or may not let you in! He was away but we were lucky enough to run into the owner of the farm, Jochen Frank-Schultz. He gave us a cup of tea and we sat on his shady veranda chatting for a couple of hours. We chatted about a wide range of subjects and what a fascinating man.

While waiting for our tea, Alec took the time to explain how an old petrol pump worked. This amazing artifact was hanging on the wall. Alec says he remembers using one many, many years ago!

Jochen told us the castle was built by Baron von Wolf in 1908, in response to the Herero/Nama Uprising. It was built as a fort to protect the farmers in the area. It ran as a tourist attraction but in 2020 it was closed. The Frank-Schultz family is negotiating with the Namibian Tourism Ministry to run it on their behalf but have not yet been successful.

Here are some views of Duwisib castle

Just look at the huge blocks of sandstone, hewn by Italian stonemasons about three kilometers from where the castle was built. All the blocks fit so well together, and Jochen told us that the largest blocks are seated on smaller rocks so they did not squash the cement out when they were laid. Jochen was full of fascinating snippets and if you get a chance to chat to him, take it. His small coffee shop is built in the old blacksmith’s workshop so check out the enormous bellows in the roof.

Tomorrow we are off to Sesreim and the next installment in our adventure