Long hikes on Table Mountain

In early December I was approached by the Rangecroft family who needed to do some long hikes on Table Mountain. The children were doing the Princes gold award and one of the requirements was to plan and complete some tough hikes covering a required distance. We put our heads together and came up with a couple of terrific routes. Both +/- 16km in length.

The first route we chose was the contour path from Constantia Nek to Kloof Nek road. This is a fantastic path that follows the East and Northern slopes of Table mountain.

 

Newland Forest

The first half of this hike is through beautiful indigenous forest

Although there are a couple of steep uphills, the first between Kirstenbosch Gardens and Newlands Forest, the second overlooking Woodstock, this is generally a flattish path following (as the name suggests) a contour line. An added bonus to this hike is the shade provided by the indigenous forests for much of the morning. Other highlights are the views from the Kings blockhouse from where you can see both False Bay and Table Bay and the views of the city once around the corner and on the Northern slopes.

 

The contour path on Table Mountain

Table Mountain towers above the contour path

The second route we selected was totally different in terms of scenery and terrain. We hiked from Cape Point to the entrance gate of the reserve along the False Bay coast. This trail is continually undulating through the day with the highest point being at reached at about 250m. There is no shade and the ground under foot changes from sand to rock throughout the day. Highlights of this hike include the awe inspiring scenery and kanonkop. This a signalling cannon dating from the early 1800’s still found facing False Bay with an aim to alerting everyone to the arrival of a ship around the point.

View from the cape point hiking trail

The outstanding scenery is a highlight of this hike

Both hikes should take around 6 to 7 hours to complete and are wonderful food for the soul.

Click here for more information on hiking trails in Cape Town.