Blinkwater Needle. A scramble hike up
Table Mountain
Get off the beaten track on a guided hike with Ridgway Ramblers
Blinkwater Needle is a tower of rock that separates Blind gulley and Blinkwater Ravine. Looking from the restuarant area on the Western Table Top the needle can be seen in the foreground of the 12 Apostles.
To get to the needle, the best approach is up Blind Gulley. Start off by following the signs for the Diagonal path off the Pipe Track. At the first rock bands look for a small path off to the left. It is difficult to spot but small cairns also mark the route.
The path leads you along the contour and into Blind Gulley. You follow the Gulley directly up the watercourse for the next hour so this is not a route to take immediately after rain.
The route is steep and overgrown in places so be prepared for a bit of bundu bashing. As you get to the shoulder of the gulley at a height of 820m the needle stands clear on your left.
From the saddle the Blind gulley path leads you past the needle and to the left to reach the back table just above Echo Valley. To get to the top of the needle is quite a scramble but it is well worth the effort. The views are spectacular.
The drop off into Blinkwater ravine shows why you didn’t ascend from this side.
Continue up the path and the final scramble up onto the Back Table. This final section is the most difficult scramble of the day as the path is narrow and has a bit of a drop. Once at the top you can choose to go left and towards the cable car or right towards Kasteelspoort.