Hike from Napoleons bridge to

Bareges

Taking a break from hiking on Table Mountain I took a busman’s holiday in the French Pyrenees! The hike from Napoleon bridge to Barege is an easy hike for a cloudy day in the Pyrenees. It starts at a height of 800m and climbs to  a heighest point of 1277m. The hike takes you through a number of small villages with some beautiful ancient buildings which add to the interest of the walk. Altogether you cover a distance of some 12km and the hike should take you some 4 hours to complete.

The hike starts on the D921 between Luz St Sauveur and Gavarnie. The bridge spans the Garvanie river and is pretty impressive. It was built in honour of Napoleon 3rd who used to come to this area to “take the water”

Napoleons Bridge

From the bridge you walk for less than 100m along the road in the direction of Luz. You will see a clear path leading off the road on the right hand side. Follow this path. It leads steeply up before levelling out and following the road and river towards the town of Luz. After about an hour you will reach a charming little church overlooking the town. From here you head into the town and basically follow your nose through the narrow cobbled streets towards the Templar Church in the middle of the town. This is an impressive building that dominates this area of the town.

The Templar church dominates the centre of Luz

It is well worth taking the time to explore the temple.

From here you need to head to your right and away from the Garvarnie river towards Bareges. Initially follow the road until just outside the town you take a small path to the village of Viella. It takes 15 minutes to get to the village along a path with light on a timing switch. Clearly people stay in the village of Viella but walk to Luz for supper. The village of Viella is tiny with another beautiful old church and a water fountain guarded by a shepherd.

The water fountain in the village of Viella

From Viella you again follow the road back onto the main pass and take a road leading up the other side of the valley to the village of Viey. From here the path leads to the village of Sers. It should take you about an hour to hike from Viella to Sers. Both villages are built quite high in the valley and the path is steep at times, but the views terrific.

The view of Bareges taken from the chapel of St Justin

From Sers you need to head still further uphill to the chapel of St Justin. This is a tiny little chapel and from here at a height of 1277m you get your first look at Bareges.

The final stretch of the path to Bareges is a realtively gentle path through forest into the town of Bareges.

What wild flowers to see on a

winter walk on Table Mountain

Explore the diversity of the Fynbos plant kingdom on a guided Table Mountain Hike

One of the special things about Table Mountain is that no matter what time of year you walk you will see an abundance of wild flowers. Not surprising really considering that the Fynbos floral kingdom is the most diverse in the world.

Here are just some of the wild flowers I have seen this June on Table Mountain.

The Waboom Protea is one of the larger shrubs found all over Table Mountain. The name means “wagon tree” as the wood was used as brakes on he Voortrekkers wagons. These Proteas flower between May and September.

The Narrow leaved Sorrel (Oxalis family) is found mainly on the North and Western slopes of the mountain. It is quite small but very visible due to its bright colour.

The Lesser Cobra Lilly (Iris family) always catches the eye. It is found mainly in damp places. I have seen this plant all over Table Mountain but this picture was taken on the jeep track above Constantia Nek.

The Coathanger Heath (Erica family) is widespread over the whole mountain. It actually may flower all year around but mainly flowers between March and September. It is found all over the mountain mainly on rocky or drier ground.

The Common Tickberry (Daisy family) is one of the most noticable wild flowers at this time of year. Mainly because it is a large shrub that seems to spread itself as far as possible. I have seen it all over the lower slopes of Table Mountain throughout June.

These few examples do not even begin to show all the plants that are flowering on Table Mountain at the moment. Next time you are on a walking on the mountain stop for a moment and look at the veld around you. In a very small area there will be an amazing variety of species, some so tiny that if you don’t stop and look for them you’ll miss them.

The circle of Islam around Table

Mountain

Dotted around the Cape are a number of “Kramats” These  are holy shrines and tombs of “saints and friends of Allah” many of whom were brought unwillingly to the Cape as slaves.  Many of these shrines are found at the base of Table Mountain and are said to form a circle and it is believed that anyone living within this cirle is protected from natural disasters such as flood, fire or earthquake.

It is possible to visit these shrines on many of the hikes on Table Mountain. One of the most visited is the shrine between Lions Head and Signal Hill.

The Kramat on Signal Hill road

To get to this site you can either follow the path from the main Lions Head parking area, or walk down from the Lions Head Path directly to the Kramat.

Another easily accessible kramat is found at Oudekraal. If you follow the main road from Cape Bay, as you pass Oudekraal there are a number of pathways leading up to the mountain from parking areas along the road. The walk itself is +/- 15 minutes.

One of the Kramats on the Western slopes of Table Mountain

Other sites with kramats are; Robben Island, Zandviet farm and on Tokai Rd in Constantia.

The reservoirs on Table

Mountain

“The full day guided hike on Table Mountain was one of the highlights of my trip to Cape Town. I had no idea how big the mountain was and how much there is to see! “

Few visitors to Cape Town realise that Table Mountain is home to 5 reservoirs. Built between 1896 and 1907 they were for some time the main water supply of Cape Town. Of course in recent years the requirements of Cape Town have outstripped the water available on the mountain but they still provide a picturesque destination for a hike. On weekends many local people make the trek onto the Back Table from Constantia Nek or Camps Bay to enjoy the peace and relaxation that sitting beside a body of water always provides.

Relaxing by De Villiers dam on Table Mountain

The winter of 2010 was a very dry one with the result that visitors to the mountain during the summer of 2010/2011 were met with very low and even empty dams by the end of the season. Although not as pretty to look at it was nevertheless interesting to see the bleached rocks and to walk right accross the middle of the dam.

No water in the Hely-Hutchinson reservoir

But May and June of 2011 have provided a good bit of rain so I am happy to be able to report that there is water on Table Mountain again. So next time you are in Cape Town take the opportunity to get up the mountain and spend some time relaxing beside one of them. You cannot believe you are in the middle of a large and cosmopolitan city. The only sounds are of birds and lapping water.

The peace and quiet of the dams is wonderful.

http://www.ridgwayramblers.co.za/index.php/hiking-options/full-day-options/

Vote for Table Mountain as one of

the new 7 wonders of nature

Table Mountain has been shortlisted along with 28 other sites to be one of the new 7 wonders of nature. Selecting from the 28 is difficult as in that 28 there are so many beautiful and outstanding areas. 

 Table Mountain deserves a place in the top 7 not only because of the amazing natural beauty of the mountain standing tall and alone on the tip of Africa. But also because of the amazing diversity of the floral kingdom found on it. 70% of the flora is endemic. ie found nowhere else on earth. Another special feature of Table Mountain is the positioning of such a pristine environment, slap bang in the middle of a large and cosmopolitan city. (the mountain environment is so clean that you can drink the water!) Its geological history is also pretty special. This mountain is 6 x older than Everest!

What other natural feature in the world is so instantly recognisable?.

To vote for Table Mountain go to http://www.new7wonders.com/ or sms “TABLE” TO 34874.

Kids hiking on Table Mountain

A hike on Table Mountain is a perfect way to keep the kids entertained during the school holidays

If you are wondering what to do with the kids during the June/July school holidays look no further than Table Mountain. A hike on Table Mountain offers the kids an opportunity to burn off some steam and have a lot of fun, as well as learn about the natural history of the area.

There are a number of different options to choose from depending on the ages of the cjhildren. A full days hike to the dams and waterworks museum offers a great day out for older children. Whatever your age the sight of a steam train on top of the mountain cannot fail to fascinate.

Inside the museum on top of Table Mountain

Alternatively a hike up Lions Head offers the excitement of the chains and you can be up and down in half a day.

We made it to the top of Lions Head

Another favourite is the steep and challenging Platteklip Gorge. This takes you to the cable car so it is possible to cheat and ride down.

Almost at the top

 Or even take the cable car both up and down and enjoy an easy hike to Maclears Beacon. This is a hike fun for even the very young. During the school holidays the cable car has a number of specials available for families, from special prices to treasure hunts to kids meals. Have a look at their site.

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/kidz_season/ 

For guided hikes for the whole family contact Binny 082 522 6056. We offer guided hikes for individuals and groups. All our guides are fully qualified in safety and first aid.

Did the ash cloud effect the hiking

on Table Mountain?

Compared the iclandic ash cloud of June 2010, the effects of the ash cloud from the chilean volcano Puyehue has really been quite mild. Of course if you were stuck either trying to get in and out of New Zealand or Australia you would disagree with me. However in Cape Town we only had a very short disruption to flights in and out of the city on the 19th June. (15 days after the volacano began erupting)

Walking on Table Mountain on the 19th was no different to any other day. I searched the skys for signs of any ash, but nothing was visible to the naked (and uneducated) eye. There were some clouds around but they looked very normal to me. We did a low level walk along the contour path. Nice and relaxing. Beautiful waterfalls and rivers.

When is the best season for a

Table Mountain walk?

Unlike many mountains and hiking areas the weather on Table Mountain in Cape Town does not have a huge difference between seasons. This is not to say that the weather is exactly the same throughout the year. It is just that we do not have the extremes of season as for example the Alps or the Pyrenees. So walking up Table Mountain is never replaced by skiing or snowboarding!

The window on the India Venster route up Table Mountain

Having said that there are differences that you should take into account when planning to go on a hike on Table Mountain.

The Southern hemisphere summer is between the months of November and March. Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate and thus has “warm dry summers”  The average day time temperatures during the summer months are around 27 degrees C. We do get days, especially towards the end of summer when temperatures can reach the mid 30′s. Therefore in the summer it is best to begin hiking as early as possible so as to avoid the afternoon sun as much as possible. It is also important to take plenty of drinking water throughout the summer.

Cape Town winters are relatively mild. The average day time temperature is around 17 degrees C. The months with the most average rainfall are June, July and August. However walking is certainly not impossible during these times. Between the cold fronts which bring the rain Cape Town experiences some wonderfully bright and sunny days. During this time of year the mountain streams and waterfalls are all flowing with clean drinkable water and the hiking is superb especially on the East side of the mountain (above Kirstenbosch gardens) .

Wind is the weather phenomenon that occurs throughout the year in Cape Town. The strong South East wind which dominates the wind direction especially during the summer months is called the “Cape Doctor” as it blows any pollution away and ensures the air in Cape Town is some of the cleanest in the world. Although wind in itself should not effect your walking, if you are planning to take the cable car you should be aware that this closes when the wind reaches over +/- 35 km per hour. You would also want to steer clear the cliff path or India Venster type routes when the wind is too strong. 

To summarise. Any time of year is a good time of year for a Table Mountain walk. In the summer take a hat and plenty of water. In the winter check the forecast and plan a walk for one of the many dry days.

A view from Smuts Track

Walking up Snowdon reminds me

of walking up Table Mountain

Snowdon mountain found in the Snowdonia National Park  is the highest mountain in Wales. Having already climbed the highest mountains in Scotland  and England(Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike) I have had my sights on Snowdon for some time. Finally I got there yesterday. But what really surprised me was the many similarities between Snowdon and Table Mountain.

Table Mountain is 1085 metres at its highest point. Have a look at how high Snowdon is.

Exactly the same! Another similarity is that the summit is perfectly attainable for anyone of moderate fitness. There are a number of routes up both mountains which are straight hiking trails. No ropes or even scrambling required.

But best of all is that both mountains offer a cheat for those unable to hike up! Table Mountain has the cable car. Snowdon has a train!

The train offers a cheat route up Snowdon

 I suspect the weather might be the major difference between the 2 mountains. I was fortunate to be on Snowdon for a perfect hiking day. Clear but not too hot. I understand that to get clear views from the top of Snowdon is not exactly common!

Hiking to Grisedale Tarn

The English Lakedistrict offers some wonderful hiking. Rarely too hot and generally experiencing all four seasons in one day the greenery and beauty of the area cannot escape anyone who loves to be in the great outdoors. The variety of hikes are enormous with gentle rambles or longer tough hikes and scrambles all being available in abundance.

The Grisdale tarn is found on the slopes of Hellvellyn, inbetween the village of Patterdale and Thirlmere reservoir. If you don’t want to do an in and out route you will need to have 2 cars or a driver to collect you at the other side.

From Patterdale you head up the small road that leads to the West right beside the river. It is a small road which is tarred for about 5km. You will find parking just before the first gate. There is a path up Hellvellyn leaving from here. Don’t follow this path but continue along the lane. It becomes dirt after another couple of km and then quickly becomes a path leading steeply up the slope. The path is clear but rocky and uneven.  After about an hour it crosses a stream and reaches an outward bound hut.

The path leading up the valley

Leaving the hut behind you continue steeply up the valley. At the top you are greeted by the sight of a beautiful small tarn (small mountain lake).

The view of Grisedale Tarn looking back towards Patterdale

 The path to the right of the tarn leads steeply up the slopes of the mountain so it is better to take the left hand path that leads right around the edge of the lake. There are 2 clear routes leading away from the tarn. The first leads you down to Grasmere, the second takes you down to the main road that bypasses  Thirlmere reservoir. Both are steep and follow beautiful little  streams as they tumble down the mountain.

The steep path down

On the trail, even on a bank holiday you will only bump into a couple of other hikers. (and the odd crazy biker) But once you have finished there are an abundance of friendly pubs to relax in in one of the villages nearby.