Devils Peak. The large peak to the left of Table Mountain

Van Hunks was a retired Dutch pirate who had taken up residence in Cape Town. His wife however would not allow him to smoke his pipe in the house and banished him to the mountain when he wanted a puff.

One day, whilst enjoying a pipe a stranger joined him and before long the two men got into an arguement about who could smoke the most and eventually decided to a smoking duel.

So for several days they sat up the mountain and smoked and smoked until a huge cloud enveloped both them and the peak upon which they were sitting. When the smoke cleared both old men were gone and it was realised that the second old man was the devil and in losing the smoking competition, Van Hunks has lost his soul to the Devil.

The cloud coming in over Devils Peak

So now when the South East wind blows and the clouds begin to form on Devils Peak legend has it that Van Hunks is back up there trying to win his soul back!

Contact Ridgway Ramblers for a guided hike up Devils peak – one of the lesser known trails on Table Mountain