Table Mountain
from Blouberg Beach
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Our final transit journey, to Cape Town, started in sunshine from Clanwilliam at 08.30, with a forecast of rain in Cape Town. Despite some cloud, this rain never materialised. It was a relatively short journey, through a citrus fruit growing area, and then the last 100km or so being through flat agricultural land to reach the increasingly urban areas lining the coast north of Cape Town.
We stopped for a walk along the beach, with views across the bay to Table Mountain (inevitably with the top hidden beneath a bank of cloud!), and then had lunch in a restaurant with great views across the bay too. Parked in the bay in front of the restaurant was the remains of the latest shipwreck in the bay, parts of the ruined hull and two operational looking cranes were all that could be seen.
At Kirstenbosch we bade a sad farewell to Shamwari, one of our two vehicles, driven by Chantel, as it had to be returned to they depot to be prepared for its next trip. We then had three hours to wander around, and some of us headed to the paths above the gardens towards Skeleton Gorge - for exercise and to get a better view. There wasn't enough time to go up the gorge, although Lawrence & I got about half-way up - still not high enough to get above the trees. Meanwhile, down in the gardens there were some spectacular colour displays, especially the orange pincushion proteas.
We headed back through the traffic to the Lady Hamilton Hotel near the city centre - another shock, after the luxury of some of the remote lodges we had stayed in - smaller rooms, no fridge or kettles, and expensive internet! There was a pool, but we ran out of time to use it as we dispersed into the locality to try out the local eating & drinking places.
Devil's Peak from
Kirstenbosch Gardens
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Thursday 27 October
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Todd & Chantel changing the flat tyre |
Only a couple of days of the holiday left now, and a full day tour down to Cape Point on the programme, starting at a cool and windy Signal Hill for an overview of the city centre and Table Bay. We then headed to Hout Bay and the Chapman's Peak Drive, the spectacular coast road slotted into the precipitous rocks below Chapman's Peak. We ground to a halt on the coast road when our Shamwari replacement bus suffered a flat tyre - quickly changed despite the spare tyre being padlocked - and no key with the van......
We arrived at Cape Point around 11.00 and had a couple of hours to explore the lighthouse(s), with great views of the Cape Point cliffs and across False Bay, and then to walk along the cliff tops to the Cape of Good Hope. Despite the stiff breeze it was surprisingly warm. Hidden amongst the fynbos scrubland there were a surprising number of flowers, the most noticeable of which were the clumps of Cape Snow, which from a distance looked more like small sheep than flowers! We had close encounters with ostriches and a blesbok and a more distant encounter with baboons,
Lunch at the Black Marlin restaurant turned out to be a lavish and filling affair! Tasty starters of salad or seafood chowder set the tone, followed by grilled fish and calamares, and then a fruit & ice cream dish. We felt stuffed!
Full stomachs were quickly forgotten when we visited the penguin colony at Boulders; and although most of the penguins seemed pretty listless, they still managed to amuse and intrigue. After a quick boardwalk to the penguin's beach we headed off for an even quicker visit to Simon's Town. Even though it was quick, the group still managed to boost the local economy significantly in a nearby gift shop.
There were no problems deciding where to eat in the evening for most people - nowhere! We had eaten so much at lunchtime that most people just got a snack at the nearby Checker's supermarket and returned to the hotel for a TV supper or the 'girls' card school' in the hotel business centre.
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African penguins at Boulders
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Friday 28 October
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View down Platteklip Gorge
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Table Mountain Day - depending on the weather! Those of us intending to walk noted , at breakfast at 06.30, that:
- it had rained heavily in the night
- it was now fine, but
- the top of Table Mountain was still shrouded in cloud!
Meanwhile the rest of the group, seeing the persistent cloud, decided not to go up, and did a city tour with Chantel instead, ending up at the V&A waterfront. V&A in this case meant Victoria & Alfred (2nd son of Queen Vic, who opened the new docks), not Victoria & Albert.
The walkers, after a quick shower, also had a quick city tour, with Todd, before ending up at the Waterfront too. Apart from Lawrence & Gill, who made it on to a Robben Island trip, everyone drifted back to the hotel via a variety of restaurants, craft shops and markets.
In the evening we took taxis to the waterfront for our final evening meal together, at the 'Greek Fisherman'. No farewell speeches here as Chantel had managed to get her vehicle back, and packed the trailer ready for her next trip starting on Sunday - she would therefore be with us for the last day. Hooray!
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Sunbird |
Saturday 29 October
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Pottery market in Franschoek
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Our last day, and an evening flight - usually making an awkward and sometimes wasted day. Not this time, however, as Chantel & Todd had a full day's programme for us. This started in the wine area at Franschoek, a refuge for Huguenots at the end of the 17th century and now a rather twee food & wine (and chocolate) mecca. Luckily for the souvenir hunters amongst us there was a craft market in the village hall and a pottery market under the trees by the old Cape Dutch church - the latter having some very fine and artistic pieces.
As we got into our vehicles (and an overhauled, and clean, Shamwari was back with us!) someone noticed an owl on a tree just above the cars. It regarded us with some disdain, but posed, unperturbed, for photographs.
After the village visit we headed off for the highlight of the day (for me) - wine tasting at the Anura Vineyard. After a tour of the shiny new wine-making equipment (clearly a big investment here) we got through the tasting of two whites, a rose, and two reds (or one red and a port).
For some reason very few people ordered more wine for the exquisite lunch which they served for us, most people drinking sparkling water! What a final meal of the trip - it summed up the excellent (and sometimes excessive) food we had had through the holiday. Those who had the venison shanks raved about the tenderness of the meat, and as for the brie cheese-cake desert it was out of this world!
It was a rather quiet and stuffed party of Ramblers that strolled around our last sightseeing destination - Stellenbosch. There was hardly time to do justice to the great number of historic buildings in this second oldest (colonial) town in South Africa. There was just about enough time, however, to explore the idiosyncratic delights of 'Oom Samie Se Winkel' - an old, historic, general store.
Then it was time to head past the extensive shanty towns on the Cape Flats to reach the airport, and the long journey home. A great trip, and thanks mainly to Chantel and Todd, our excellent guides. A few tears were shed on parting.......
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Spotted Eagle Owl
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