The Road Trip: A Whimsical Journey of Bears, Baggage, and Banter

By Peter van Nieuwenhuizen

The Road Trip, the first book in the Waddlescock Tales series by Peter van Nieuwenhuizen, is a storybook adventure for grown-ups that masterfully blends whimsy with emotional truth. Set against the wide skies and winding roads of South Africa, this comedic novel follows four sharply dressed teddy bears-each with very human problems-as they embark on an eccentric journey in a green Bentley towing a mysterious, overstuffed trailer.

The story is a perfect read for those who appreciate anthropomorphic charm, vintage fashion, humour, and a touch of the absurd. The author deliberately infuses the late '70s and early '80s setting with amusing anachronisms, such as laptops and smartphones, to accelerate the romance and modernize the banter.

The heart of the book lies in its quartet of unforgettable protagonists: Edna, Lady Waddlescock: The formidable Dowager Marchioness and family matriarch is a woman of unapologetic flair and formidable presence. A widow of the 33rd Marquis, she is legendary for her fondness for purple boas, Vespa motorcycles, and exotic dancing. She rules with sequins and steel, speaking with the precision of a well-aimed dart.Percy Hackenfuss: Edna's younger brother is a lifelong bachelor and a devoted hypochondriac. He consults his Doctor Butcher's Almanac of Ailments and Maladies with reverence, forever convinced his spleen murmurs and his pulse misbehaves. Beneath his fragility, he remains gentle, loyal, and quietly haunted by a past heartbreak.Clara Hulett: The quiet anchor of the group, Clara is Edna's closest confidante and the voice of reason. Thoughtful to a fault, her gentle, unwavering actions speak louder than her carefully chosen words. She is a romantic interest for Percy, an outcome Edna actively hopes for.Hans Tarlton: The family chauffeur, Hans harbours a dream that roars louder than any engine: to race in Formula One. Despite his notoriously unreliable eyesight-he once mistook a garden gnome for a traffic officer-he drives with heart, hope, and heroic delusion.
The road trip begins in Glannon, Port Elizabeth, heading southward along a winding route that takes the travellers through the R62, Oudtshoorn (where they have an encounter known as "The Ostrich Incident"), the Swartberg Pass, Prince Alfred Hamlet, and finally, toward a spa in Swellendam.

Along the way, the characters navigate a series of chaotic and charming misadventures, from a quiet moment with fish-and-chip, to the drama of a "rattling towel" that nearly drives Percy mad, to a lunch with a philosophical dog named Tick-Tock. Their journey is further complicated by old tensions and secrets packed inside their luggage. Edna is confronted by her past when her duplicitous ex-husband, Hendler-a villain in tailored suits-sends her an unnerving message, threatening to intersect with their itinerary in Cape Town. Percy must make peace with the ghosts that followed him from Cairo. Clara, ever so patient, finds that a new life of happy moments await her if she can penetrate the dense fog that sits in Percy's heart.

Ultimately, the road trip forces the bears to confront their emotional baggage and, in a surprising turn of events that leads to a proposal and a joyous, unexpected wedding. It is a delightful and chaotic ride that serves as a celebration of the unconventional and a heartfelt look at friendship, family, and the search for love in the most unlikely of places.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FW4HS8RZ
• ISBN13: 9798269667621
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"