"Don?t rush me, I?m a local," is the oft-heard saying among ?Langebaaners?. It?s clearly what?s going through the mind of the tortoise casually wending its way across the busy R27, oblivious to the tons of metal screeching by.

But luck is on its side today as we bring the car to a smooth halt and lend a hand with the little fella?s journey. It?s at least the fifth such encounter of the morning ? no wonder in this part of the world there are even traffic signs warning of tortoise crossings.

"On the West Coast, it?s the Slow Five, not the Big Five," Jaco Kotze of the local tourism office chuckles when we meet. Apart from the tortoise, there?s also the sand shark, the dune mole, the porcupine and, on a somewhat larger scale, the whale.

"Not to forget the people," Jaco quips. "We?re all very laid back here."

How right he is. In just an hour?s drive from Cape Town, it?s like arriving in another country, the Mediterranean perhaps. (It?s no surprise there?s a picture perfect Club Mykonos resort here too).

It could be a perfect summer day, but it?s actually the area?s 'Secret Season', the off-peak time of year that has as much ? if not more ? to offer visitors as the high season.

"From May to September, the weather is quite spectacular," says Jaco from behind his shades. And then, of course, the area?s extraordinary flower season starts in July, coming quite literally to full bloom in late August, which is when the whales really come out to play.

Langebaan is the perfect base from which to launch one?s exploration of the West Coast. Somehow, this once quiet holiday town has maintained its peaceful aura even as development has seen it boom. Nature enthusiasts can boast of the more than 1200 different flowering fynbos species carpeting their backyard, not to mention 250 different bird species hosted on the lagoon, itself one of South Africa?s most important wetland areas.

The windy West Coast is great for watersports
Summer on the West Coast is notoriously windy, but which obviously makes for ideal conditions for water sports like kite and wind surfing. The lagoon, incidentally, is divided into three recreational zones ? a multi-functional section, a section reserved for sail boats and board sailing, and a wilderness area, the latter two zones buffeted by the West Coast National Park.

It takes a few minutes by car to reach the Langebaan Gate entrance to the Park, also accessible from the R27 (West Coast Gate). But you want to give yourself at least a full day to experience this wild, startlingly beautiful terrain that seems to speak straight to the soul. Alternating stretches of water and land ? the Atlantic washes against Sixteen Mile Beach, where dunes morph to fuzzy, fynbos covered hills, before again becoming sandy beaches at the lagoon ? make for dazzling scenery, awash in soft, other-worldly hues. An artist friend cites this as her favourite place in the world for its inspiring palette, a challenge to match in pastels and oils.

We stop for lunch at Geelbek Restaurant at the Visitor?s Centre on the southern end of the lagoon, where some of the area?s vast cultural and natural history is explained. A short drive further is Churchhaven, an off-the-radar village where many of the same families have lived for generations. With its simple homes set against the dramatic backdrop of the lagoon, this restful, almost eerie little place is a photographer?s dream, a kind of time capsule of a century back. At nearby Kraalbaai, we meditatively gaze out from our perch on the end of the jetty at the houseboats on the still, turquoise water. It?s the kind of place where you could lose yourself.

Back on the R27 we take a detour to visit the West Coast Fossil Park, one of the richest fossil parks in the world, where we marvel at the cast of ?Eve?s footprint?. Dating back some 117 000 years, it?s one of the oldest footprints in the world, and it was discovered in the sandstone in the Langebaan vicinity.

"People still think the West Coast is 'terug op die brug'"

To embark on a quest for a good, hearty meal around here is also to gain a better understanding of what the West Coast and its people are all about. Food, community, history and the elements are all interconnected, woven into an almost ritualistic experience.

"This is a ?kuierplek?," explains Anneke van der Walt, CEO of West Coast Life. "We eat and drink together ? and usually outside too." It?s all about being connected with nature and with ?your people?, and it doesn?t get more unpretentious than at local spots like Die Strandloper and Boesmanland Plaaskombuis.

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From the July/August 2006 issue of Good Taste magazine.
Both are boma-style beach-bar slash seafood and ?boerekos? restaurants with lagoon views. And both do the ?eat-as-much-as-you-like? thing with aplomb, making sure patrons are kept well-fed on boerbrood (bread made from a salt and potato fermented yeast) and apricot jam in between the braaied snoek, sweet potatoes, seafood potjie and waterblommetjie bredie.

?People still think the West Coast is ?terug op die brug?, you know, backward,? Jaco smiled as we parted. ?But I don?t think we should entirely get rid of that perception. It?s actually something to cherish.?

Anneke agreed: ?There?s an authentic character here you don?t find in many other places. It?s like time travel.? She believes it?s related to the fish industry along this coast, where the people have been dependent on the sea for a living for hundreds of years. ?The values people have here are based on real survival issues,? she said. ?The West Coast is not skin deep. You have to dive in and really experience it.?

On the road again

We take a detour via Jacobsbaai, all white, wind-scrubbed dwellings overlooking a jagged little bay, where vast amounts of crayfish are rumoured to dwell. We back-track to Vredenberg, the thriving business centre of the West Coast Peninsula.

From here, it?s just 20 kilometres of pure pastoral bliss ? all wheat-fields and grazing sheep ? before the poetically pretty village of Paternoster comes into view.

I?m again struck by visions of the Med, specifically those immaculately white washed, blue-trimmed little towns that cling to the rocks where a cobalt sea tirelessly laps.

An initiation into true West Coast culture

While in Paternoster you don?t get the old women dressed all in black or ouzo-drinking card players hanging out on street corners, you do get an eclectic mix of locals who fiercely adore their home. Many are ?uitlanders? who?ve moved here to escape the city or other, more small-minded dorps.

'Bokkoms' hung out to dry
A visit to the similarly legendary Oep Vir Koep shop is par for the course, and you?ll leave bearing bottles of local preserves, souvenir shooter glasses bearing the trademark ?cleavage? of nearby Tiettiesbaai, and strings of shells to hang from your front porch to remind you of this blissed-out piece of shack-chic heaven. And not to forget that true West Coast delicacy, bokkoms ? salted, sun-dried harders, or mullets. It?s like an initiation into true West Coast culture.

Apart from feeling too chilled out to move from the chaise-lounge on your B&B?s sea-facing veranda, there are some wonderful walks to consider. Not just along the endless beaches, but also through the Columbine Nature Reserve, where is to be found SA?s last manned lighthouse.

Paternoster is a very romantic place, and the special charm and character of guest houses like the Blue Dolphin and the Oystercatcher?s Haven make you want to throw in the towel with life back home and simply squat here till the funds dry up.

Of course, it?s also easy to romanticise pretty much everything along the whole West Coast stretch. The moody setting, the food, the characterful locals and their quaint ?volksmond?. Later during the weekend, we join the owners of Farr Out B&B for a beach buggy tour around the dunes.

From a particularly good vantage point we can view some major developments taking place in nearby Shelley Point, signs that more people are being drawn to this beautiful coast for a life more authentic and natural. We set off, but within seconds stop again for yet another path-crossing tortoise, a reminder to pause a little longer, breathe in deep and acknowledge the gentle pace of life here.