Hiking up Devils Peak

Devils Peak is the large Peak to the left of Table Mountain if you look at it from Cape Town. Although 1000m high so only 85m lower than Maclears Beacon, it is often an ignored area for walking, which is a pity as it has some of the best hiking on the Table Mountain Chain.

The easiest way to the top is from Tafelberg Rd via the Saddle Path. To get there you drive past the parking area of Platteklip gorge and park at the next path that leads up the mountain. This is a well contoured path that leads first to the contour path and then on up onto the saddle which is at 650m. You should reach the saddle after about 40 mins walking.

The Saddle Path

 It is here that the real climb begins.  It is worth stopping to admire the view on the way up. On the one side you can look through the saddle to False Bay, whilst on the other side you have a picture postcard view of the Platteklip Gorge route up Table Mountain, as well as the cable car and Lions Head.

Looking over the saddle to False Bay

Please note that the Table Mountain cableway will be closed from the 23rd to the 28th August 2010 for routine maintenance.

You can still hike to the top of Table Mountain though. Give me a call to organise a guided hike up one of the magnificent gorges found on Table Mountain.

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An easy scramble route on Table

Mountain

The Constantia Corner route up Table Mountain is a mild scramble which takes you to The De Villiers Dam. From there you can either continue your walk further onto the Back Table or return to your car down the concrete road.

Park your car at Constantia Nek and start up the concrete road from the bottom. After you pass the gates which mark the start of the Table Mountain National Park take the first path that leads up the steep slope to your left. This path is steep and quite heavily eroded in places. It rejoins the concrete road after about 15 minutes hard climb. Once you rejoin the road you have the choice to follow the road around a hairpin bend, or go straight ahead. To get to Constantia corner you go straight ahead. The road ends but a small path leads from the end of the road up to your right. Follw this path. After around 200m the path splits. Take the right fork. This path leads you to the base of the cliffs which you follow around so you are now looking over Hout Bay and Orange Kloof.  After another 500m look for a cairn on your right. This indicates where you should turn upwards. Here the path is steep and leads onto a shoulder. Follow the clear path to your left, which leads up onto Constantia Corner ridge. The path now leads you North for about 2km to the De Villiers Dam. The route is well marked and includes a couple of easy scrambles. There are 2 distinct milestones on this route. The first is a gap between 2 large rocks, where a large overhang offers a good place for a tea break. (watch out for the blister bush here)

Roderick examining the overhang

The other milestone is the camel rock, one of the oddly weathered rocks on Table Mountain.

The oddly shaped Camel rock

On reaching the De Villiers dam take the path to the right which rejoins the concrete road.

At De Villers Dam, before rejoining the concrete road

What is the best hiking route on

Table Mountain?

To the visitor to Cape Town there is an overwhelming amount of information regarding Table Mountain. From different hiking trails to the cable car etc. Many people are torn between walking up and taking the cable car. Having made the decision to walk up. They then need to decide which route to take.

So here is my take on the matter. 

You need to decide: 1. How much time you have available. 2. If you have the necessary equipment for a full days hike. (suitable shoes, warm clothing etc) 3. if you know the route or have a suitable map.

The cable car is an experience certainly, but if you are reasonably fit it is really worth hiking up Table Mountain and only taking the cable car down. By hiking up you get away from the classic tourist route and the crowds. Plus you actually experience Table Mountain as a mountain not just another view spot.

Having opted to hike there is then the choice of routes. The paths most often mentioned are:

Platteklip Gorge: This is the most popular route on the mountain and it takes you to 15 mins walk from the cable car. The average time to walk up is around 2 hours. The views are magnificent. It is a steep relentless path, but well worth the effort. This route can be quite busy and it is unlikely you will get lost. (although it does happen)

Skeleton Gorge ascends Table mountain above Kirstenbosch Gardens. Most of the way is through indinenous trees so quite shady. There are a couple of handily placed ladders to get you up a couple of difficult stretches. Once at the top the views of the Southern suburbs and False Bay are fantastic. The climb from Kirstenbosch should take around 2 hours. However is is another 2 to 2.5 hours walk to the cable way.  So this is a full days hike if you intend going to the main area of Table Mountain.

Kasteelspoort. The Kasteelspoort route up Table Mountain ascends the mountain above Camps Bay. Here the views of the Atlantic seaboard are unbeatable. As with Skeleton Gorge although the climb itself takes around 2 hours, it will take you another 2 to 2.5 hours to get to the cable car if that is your plan.

For both Kasteelspoort and Skeleton Gorge. I recommend you have someone with you who knows the path. The Back Table is an extensive wilderness area with many paths. Getting lost is a very real possibility.

There are of course, many more routes and paths up Table Mountain. The 3 I mention are those most often mentioned in the guide books.

Take a cultured walk

in Kirstenbosch gardens

Kirstenbosch Gardens is ideally suited to the display of various forms of art. From the summer concerts to art exhibitions to Greek theatre   For the next 12 months the untamed exhibition is well worth a visit for the whole family. I wandered in there by accident and ended up spending a whole afternoon. The writings expecially “speak” to me. But the living wall is impressive and the sculptures dramatic. If you have a free afternoon in Cape Town, I highly recommend a vist to the gardens in general, but make sure you take time to visit this outstanding exhibition while you are there.

Untamed, is a collaberative display including sculpture, architecture and poetry. Its aim is to “explore the lost balance between humankind and nature” The exhibition  inludes sculptures by Dylan Lewis. These explore the wild nature of within and without us. The poems and writings on display are by Ian McCallum, and explore humans unconcious connection with nature and the natural world. These writings and sculptures are housed in a temporary structure with includes a living wall, or vertical garden concept, in which indigenous plants held in recycled plastic containers are held in a steel vertical frame.

One of Ian McCallums poems on display in Kirstenbosch gardens

A sculpture on display at the untamed exhibition

A 2 day hike on Table Mountain

with accomodation on the

mountain

Last Wednesday evening I had a real treat. I hiked from Silvermine to the bottom of Platteklip Gorge over 2 days with the night spent in the Overseers cottage on top of the mountain.

There are a number of routes you can follow to get to the cottage. But I chose to walk from the dam in Silvermine North, around the Hout Bay side of the Constantiaberg via the lookout point and Blackburn Ravine. This way we enjoyed the floral splendour of Silvermine as well as the fantastic views over Chapmans peak. We then hiked past the manganese mines and over the Vlakkenberg to Constantia Nek. From here, having already been hiking for 5 hours, we had a last one hour climb to the cottage. It was a tough day but well worth it!!

The view over Hout Bay is magnificent

We arrived at the cottage to be welcomed by our back up team. They had arrived earlier with the luggage and food. After a warm shower we settled down with a glass of wine and snacks. This followed by a braai finished off a perfect day. The Overseers cottage is well equipped with comfortable beds so we then spent a comfortable night before heading off again the following morning.

We were up early to see the sunrise

After an early start to catch the sunrise, and a full breakfast, we again shouldered our day packs and set off on day 2. Again there are a number of routes to Platteklip Gorge. I chose to follow the East side of the mountain until we reached Nursery Ravine. We then turned left and followed the Nursery through to the central part of the mountain, where we visited the waterworks museum. From here I took my favourate path through the aquaduct. (if you have never taken this path, do yourself a favour. It follows a small beautiful gorge that feeds the dams.)

The Aquaduct path follows a small gorge

 This route leads back to join Smuts track on the Eastern side of the mountain. We carried on along this path to Maclears Beacon and then on to the Table top. We chose to hike down Platteklip rather than cheat and take the cable car.  At the bottom we were met by our faithfull back up team bearing magnum ice cream and ice tea……. A perfect 2 days.

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Table Mountains waterfalls

along the contour path

One of the nicest shorter hikes on Table Mountain follows the contour path above Kirstenbosch gardens. It takes around 2 hours and takes you past 3 beautiful waterfalls. Just after, or even during the rain these waterfalls can be quite big and the path difficult to follow without getting your feet wet. However if you are not afraid of a bit of a paddle  then this is a great walk.

To get there park at Kirstenbosch’s Rycroft (top gate) Gate. Go through the gate and head straight towards the mountain. The path goes pretty much straight up. After about 20 minutes you meet the contour path. Turn right here. Almost immediately you cross the first waterfall. For much of the year this stream is dry but during winter it can become a raging torrent. Although quite narrow it is not always possible to jump accross so you may have to get your feet wet here! Having crossed the stream continue along the path. Your next obstacle is the river that runs down Nursey Ravine. This is a fairly broad river, and usually quite easy to cross by jumping from rock to rock. (I do not count this river as a waterfall as upstream of the path it is not particularly steep.)

The contour path

Once across, again keep following the contour path. Next you come to Skeleton Gorge. Go past Smuts Track that leads up the mountain and follow the path around the corner. Here is dips down to meet the river. This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls on Table Mountain. A sheer cliff of several metres high falls straight onto the path. Lined with moss and with the indigenous forest above it, this spot is beautiful at any time of year. The path leads directly under the waterfall. However here the river is quite wide and the path quite broad so although you may get your feet wet you don’t feel in danger of being swept away.

The waterfall at Skeleton Gorge

The next and final waterfall is at window gorge. This is the steepest and when in spate has caused me to turn around on a couple of occasions. However, if you  make it past here take the next right turn off the contour path, and back into Kirstenbosch gardens.

Get off the beaten track and explore Table Mountain on a guided hike with Ridgway Ramblers

A magnificent waterfall hike

 on Table Mountain

One of the most spectacular hikes on Table Mountain is the Suikerbossie circuit. This route begins and ends at Suikerbossie restaurant. (between Hout Bay and Llandudno) As much of the route up the mountain follows the steep and often wet Myburgh waterfall ravine, this is a route best not followed in the winter or by those not equipped with good footwear.

Take the turn off the main road signposted to the restaurant and park before you take the sharp turn to the left. The path is to the left of the pillars that lead into the Ryterplaats estate. Follw the path as it leads past the restaurant and through some pine trees. Once above the pines the path takes a right turn and follows the contour for around 3 km. This is a wonderful path above the tree line with towering cliffs above you. The path dips and passes through Myburghs Kloof. Do not turn up the mountain here, but continue to the next thickly wooded ravine. (it should take you around an hour to reach here)

The path leads you up the left side of the ravine through magnificent indigenous forest. After around 15 minutes you come to a waterfall. You clambour up the side of the waterfall following a vague path. There are foot and hand holds, but be carefull as the route can be slippy here. Once at the top the path is even fainter but you just keep following the river. The trees here are even better and the sides of the waterfall are lined with dripping moss. In February this is one of the best places for spotting the red disa. But is beautiful at any time of the year. The river bed becomes narrower and narrower and leads to another waterfall. The best route up is directly up the waterfall.

The route follows the narrow river gorge

Once at the top you pick up a path on the left bank of the stream that leads to the top of the ravine and moves gradually away from the river. Once at the top the path levels out and leads you across the mountain to where it joins the main path which leads across the 12 apostles to Hout Bay. Turn left onto this path and follow it past Judas Peak and begins to descend gradually. Once you begin to descend look out for a sharp right turn which will take you to the top of Llandudno ravine. This is a steep descent over some loose ground. Slowly and carefully is best. At the bottom you get on an amazing contour path at a height of 400m. Stay on this path. It leads directly back to Suikerbossie Restuarant via a small rock scramble.

The waterfall when flowing

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