Solitaire - Car wrecks and apple pie

The small settlement of "Solitaire" is a real hotspot for many tourists, as it is the only petrol station between the coast of Walvis Bay and the dunes of Sossusvlei.

In 1948, Willem Christoffel van Coller bought the land here from the then Namibian administration and built his farm on it. His wife Elsie Sophie then named this deserted patch of land Solitaire - lonely and yet sparkling like a diamond.

Over the years, the farmhouse was extended, a petrol station and a small store were built, and even a small chapel was built in 1951.

However, this pit stop in the solitude of Namibia became famous thanks to the baker Moose McGregor. The son of a German mother and a Scottish father, he founded his Desert Bakery here almost 30 years ago, which soon became famous for its bread and baked goods. His apple pie with crumble from the tray became legendary and is still considered the best apple pie in Namibia. Moose died in January 2014 and was buried in Solitaire, but his legacy lives on and his creations are still baked according to his recipes in his old bakery and sold to visitors.