Summer Table Mountain Hikes

With summer finally arriving in Cape Town and temperatures soaring into the 30′s this week it’s important to make sure that you are properly prepared for a hike. Dehydration and sunstroke can hit hard and unexpectedly and really ruin your day!!

 Some basic rules for hiking in the heat.

1.  Take plenty of water and don’t rely on there being water on the mountain.

      I  recommend at least 2 litres per person for a 4 to 5 hour hike.

2.  Start early. Early meaning before 8am. Until 11am the temperatures are

     still  relatively cool.

3.  Plan your hike well. Slopes on the Western side of the mountain

    (overlooking Camps Bay) are in the shade in the morning but in the full glare

      of the sun in the afternoon. Many of the gorges on this side have no shade so

      in the afternoon can be almost unbearably hot. Platteklip Gorge on the

      other hand gets the full force of the morning sun and also has no shade.

       Start very early if you plan to climb Platteklip.

4.   Wear a hat and sunblock.

5.   Wear long sleeves and a shirt with a collar.

 6.  Remember dogs cannot lose heat as effectively as us so you really need to

      be careful if planning to take your 4 legged friend on the mountain with you

       this week. Only walk very early and ensure your dog has plenty to drink.

      Keeping the coat wet also helps.

Hiking in the summer in Cape Town is fantastic and the heat is certainly no reason to stay off the mountain. However please plan ahead and make sure you are prepared for the conditions of the day.

One of the best hikes on Table

 Mountain

If you want a hike on that includes as much of the best that Table Mountain has to offer, then the following could be perfect for you. It is a long hike but it is definitely worth the effort.

Up Kasteelspoort through the Aquaduct to Maclears Beacon

Take the Pipe Track from the top of Kloof Neck and ascend the mountain via Kasteelspoort. The Pipe Track offers such magnificent views of the Atlantic seaboard, Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles. It also serves as an introduction to the history of the reservoirs of Table Mountain.

Start this hike along the Pipe Track overlooking Camps Bay

Take a break at "springboard rock"

From here retrace your steps back to the 12 Apostles path but go straight over and towards the middle of the back of Table Mountain. Follow the wide path to a wide junction (with a tap if you need a water refill) Keep going straight on along the now cement road past the Woodhead reservoir to the small building that houses the waterworks museum. It should take you +/- 3 hours to reach here. It is a fascinating place for a snack stop.

 

From here you need to find the path that leads you past the Hely Hutchinson reservoir and into the Aquaduct. It is a small path that is difficult to find directly opposite the museum. Once you are on it, it is relatively clear, just the entrance is a bit obscured by overgrosn bush. This is an amazing path that leads you up the side of the Disa Rivr as it tumbles down a beautiful gorge into the dam. Although small the steep cliffs lined with trees and ferns are wonderful and a complete contrast to the rocky seascapes of the morning.

 

The greenery of the Aquaduct is a start constrast to the cliffs of the morning

The Aquaduct path leads up the side of the gorge and then to the right and towards the Eastern side of the mountain. It eventually joins with Smuts track from where the views of the Southern suburbs and False Bay again offer a totally different aspect of Table Mountain

 

Smuts Track offering yet more views of Cape Town

Turn left onto Smuts track and it leads you to Maclears Beacon. At 1085m this is the highest point of Table Mountain and about 300m higher than the top of Kasteelspoort. Much of this height is gained now when you join Smuts Track.

 

The views from Maclears Beacon are exceptional. Offering 360 degree view of the city. However this is not the end of your hike. You now follow the cliff path towards the cable way station. This remarkable path is pretty flat and follows the cliffs that overlook the city bowl.

 

Follow the cliff edge path along the cliffs that overlook Cape Town cbd

You now have the choice of descending via the cable car or Platteklip gorge.

 

As far as the cable car this hike should take you around 6 hours so including hiking down Platteklip and back to you car you will be looking at 8 to 9 hours hiking.

The Kasteelspoort viewpoint

onTable Mountain

One of the most famous photographs of Table Mountain is of someone standing on a slab of rock that protrudes from the cliffs. It looks perilous and terrifying. Surely the person is mad!

To get there you need to turn right onto the 12 Apostles path at the top of Kasteelspoort. After a few hundred metres you come to a junction. Turn right again and after 100metres you come to the site of the old cable car. (where the materials for the building of the dams were hauled up the mountain)

The old cable car at the top of Kasteelspoort

 Walk to the cliff edge and you can see the path up Kasteelspoort and Camps Bay below you. Straight ahead and you can’t miss the springboard rock. To get onto the rock there is a small path on the left of where you are standing now. Take that and it leads behind the rocks at the top of the cliff here. Follow the path and you come to an opening in the rocks that leads straight onto the springboard.

Kasteelspoort view point

More inspirational hiking quotes

People sometimes ask me if I ever get bored of hiking. Truth be told, I really don’t.  It doesn’t matter who I am walking with or where I am walking, my mind sort of potters along either chatting to my companions or just sort of wanders along on its own. Of course the views,scenery,flora and fauna are always changing, but somehow it is the activity of walking that really seems to satisfy something deep in my soul.

Here are some quotes from people who share my thoughts:

” You need special shoes for hiking. And a bit of a special soul as well” (Terri Gullemets)

“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing” (A. Huxley)

“A vigorous 5 mile walk will do more for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psycology in the world” (Paul Dudly White)

“Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk” (Raymond Lamen)

“After a good days walk everything has twice its usual value” (George Maculay Trevelyan)

“The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk” (Jacqueline Schiff)

“We have always honoured high places because we sense them to be the homes of the Gods” (Rob Parker)

“One does not climb to gain enlightenment. Rather one climbs because he is enlightened” (Zen master Futomaki)

So next time you need a bit of relaxation try a hike on Table Mountain on for size. You will return rejuvenated and looking forward to your next day out on the mountain.

A New Year hike on Table

 Mountain

What better way to start the New Year and begin all those promised resolutions, than with a hike on Table Mountain. Both full and half day hikes available for the whole family.

Contact Binny on 082 5226056 for more details.

email: binnyridgway@gmail.com

Off the Beaten Track up Table Mountain

Duration: 3 hours

The India Venster route up Table Mountain is for those with limited time but looking or a bit of adventure. It is described as a scramble route which means you need to be prepared to use your hands to get up and over some obstacles. There is some exposure on this route so it is not suitable for those with a fear of heights.

The view from the India Venster route

The path follows almost directly under the cable car and then follows fountain ledge around the side of the mountain over looking Camps Bay. The views are fantastic.

One of the steeper sections on the India Venster path

Cost: R450 per person. (inlcudes snacks) Transport available at no extra charge (by arrangement only)

Hiking on Table Mountain above Camps Bay.

A lovely day hike on Table Mountain takes you along the Twelve Apostles which overlook Camps Bay. Strangely named, as there are 17 buttresses none of which are named after anyone in the bible, the routes along this side of the mountain are steep with dramatic scenary.

Most of the paths up Table Mountain on this side lead from the Pipe Track, which contours around the mountain at a height of +/- 200m. The Pipe Track begins at the corner of Kloof Nek and Tafelberg Rd. After 5 minutes on this path you get over the brow and are immediately struck by one of the most beautiful views in Cape Town.

Overlooking Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles from the Pipe Track

The Kasteelspoort sign up Table Mountain

You should reach Kasteelspoort after about 45 minutes on the Pipe Track. The climb up onto the Back Table should then take you another +/- 2 hours. This route is fairly straight forward with some places of very very minor scrambling.

 

Almost at the top of Kasteelspoort

At the top of Kasteelspoort turn right onto the 12 Apostles path and continue South. After 5 minutes walking you come to a cross roads. It is well worth taking a short detour to the lookout point here.

 

Take a short detour to the lookout point at the top of Kasteelspoort

 

Return to the corss roads and continue South. The path is clear and leads past Woodyand Slangholie ravines. Both are signed as dangerous descents. At Slangholie you turn inland for a short distance and scramble up a small incline before returning to the path which leads to Corridor and Oedekraal ravines.

 

The top of Slangholie Ravine

The 12 Apostles path continues as far as Llundudno, however in order to complete the full 12 Apostles you would need to have arranged a car at the end point as the Pipe Track only extends as far as Oedekraal Ravine. Assuming you are doing a circular hike you will then descend down either Corridor or Oedekraal ravine. Corridor comes first and at this stage is the slightly better path. Both are loose underfoot and care needs to be taken.

 

Once back on the Pipe Track you head back towards Cape Town. This section of the walk has some of the most outstanding views found anywhere in the Cape Peninsula.

 

A view of Lions Head from the Pipe Track

Once back on the Pipe Track you head back to your car. In total the hike should take around 6 hours to complete.

 

Explore Table Mountain on a guided hike with Ridgway Ramblers.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Look out for the dassies on your Table

Mountain hike

One of the most common animals to see on your Table Mountain hike is the endearing Rock Hyrax or dassie. This is a really cute looking animal that resembles a fat guinea pig. Generally they seem to laze around in the sun in large groups, and in the cable car area of Table Mountain have become so accustomed to the presence to humans that they allow people  to come incredibly close for a photo or 2.

A dassie peeks through a hole in the wall on Table Mountain

The Dassies near the cable car allow photographers incredibly close

The most popular hike on Table Mountain

I would guess that the most popular hike on Table Mountain is Platteklip Gorge. Although this is an incredibly beautiful and scenic hike, I don’t believe its popularity is due to its scenic splendour as it is no greater in this regard than several other routes up Table mountain.

The popularity of Platteklip Gorge is due to it being close to the city and the top being 5 minutes from the cable car. Thus people with limited time in Cape Town can hike up Table Mountain in 2 to 2.5 hours, enjoy all the classic views from the top and then take the cable car down. The entire trip having taken less than 3 hours. Other well known routes, for example Skeleton gorge or Kasteelspoort are still a 2 hour walk from the cable car once you get to the top of them. An added complication would also be getting back to your car. The bottom of Platteklip Gorge is only 2km from the lower cable way station whilst Skeleton Gorge and Kasteelspoort are both a good 30 minute taxi drive away.

Of course the popularity of Platteklip Gorge does mean that you do not quite escape the crowds as you on the other routes. On a nice Saturday morning you may encounter 20 or 30 people on Platteklip whilst on one of the other routes you will probably only see 4 or 5 other people.  (bear in mind that 600 people an hour will be going up by the cable car, so to describe any hike on Table Mountain as crowded is a very relative concept.)

Some pictures of the Platteklip Gorge hike up Table Mountain

The path up Platteklip Gorge seen from Tafelberg road

Looking up Platteklip Gorge from the bottom

Reaching the top of Table Mountain

Join Ridgway Ramblers for a hike up Table Mountain. It is the only way to really appreciate the wonder of this iconic beauty.

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

Hike up Table Mountain

A hike on Table Mountain is the highlight of a visit to Cape Town.

Table Mountain is part and parcel of the city of Cape Town. It is this magnificent backdrop that makes the city such an internationally favourite destination. Wherever you are in the city Table Mountain dominates the scenery with its imposing and craggy cliffs. 

Table Mountain towering above the city of Cape Town

Away from the crowds on a hike on Table Mountain you can walk all day and not see another person. There are a number of totally different hikes to choose from depending on which side of the mountain you choose to climb. Each route is characterised by different plantlife, scenery and views. On the way up the different layers of rock are clearly visible whilst on top the weird and wonderful rock formations created by years of weathering create fun climbing spots. 

Climb on one of the weathered rock formations on Table Mountain

Many hikers are surprised at the size of the mountain behind the imposing cliffs above the city. The area of the Western Table top which is visited by several hundred people an hour (courtesy of the cable car)  is perhaps 500m sq. The area of the entire mountain is in excess of 50km sq. 

Escape from the crowds on a hike on Table Mountain

Some of the highlights of a hike on Table Mountain include:

• The 360 degree views from Maclears Beacon.
• Lunch in the beautiful Tranquility Crags
• A photo from the Kasteelspoort lookout point
•  A visit to the reservoirs built in the late 1800′s
• A visit to the waterworks museum
• A rare sighting of the shy clipspringers
• Hiking through the indigenous forests above Kirstenbosch Gardens
• Scrambling up the ladders in Skeleton Gorge.
• Pristine fynbos and clean streams and waterfalls

Join Ridgway Ramblers on a hike on Table Mountain and discover the real mountain away from the crowds.

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