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Imagine standing on the edge of a mountain six times older than the himalayas, watching a full moon rise over the ocean beyond the city lights. The night is scented with the honey and herb smell of fynbos, and clouds move across the sky like giant moths caught in a secret breeze.

Eight hundred million years ago, in the area we call the Cape Peninsula, sandstone began to form underwater and was given strength by magma rising from the earth's core. When magma reached the surface it stopped underground, cooled and formed hard granite.

When the continents split apart, stresses and pressures built up in the earth's crust. If the rocks of Table Mountain had been made only of sandstone they would have folded under the pressure, but the granite gave it strength, deflecting the forces down. Slowly this process forced the layers of rock to rise, gradually forming the kilometre high mountain we know today.

I am not consciously thinking of these powerful geographic forces as I get my first glimpse of the mountain. But I am astonished by it, fascinated, and keep my eyes on it all the way into the city.

I am spending my first night at the beautifully restored Platteklip Wash Houses in TMNP, nestled in a little known part of Oranjezicht at the base of the mountain. The buildings have an air of permanence. The people who have lived and worked here before have left traces of history in the architecture, the thick walls, and tranquil grounds, the stone itself.



The accommodation is converted loft style stables, spacious, stylish, and detailed with historical photos from the national archives, crafts made by cape town's colourful community, and immaculate white linen. The detail is discrete, appropriate, and timeless.



There is a group of hikers midway through the trail, just starting dinner, as I find my way into the dining room. The meal smells amazing, fragrant with lemon grass, pandan (screwpine) leaves, and fresh herbs, such as daun kemangi (a type of basil), daun kesum (polygonum or laksa leaf), nutmeg, and kunyit (turmeric). I breath in the welcoming spices...

Tomorrow I begin the Table Mountain Trail.

I am woken by a bird knocking on the window of my room-it's gone before I can identify it though. Outside it is cool and in the leaf filtered sunlight it's hard to remember that I'm in the centre of a city. The coffee machine grinds fresh beans, and with a hot and fragrant mug in hand I stand outside in the coolness of the morning, listening to the gurgling of the Camissa (sweet water) River that runs from the mountain to the sea.

The trail officially leaves from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the Waterfront. "Day 1", the city tour, is optional, but I'm thrilled to be doing it-Cape Towns past is rich and diverse and it will be fascinating to explore it.

As an Urban Park, TMNP and Cape Town are inextricably linked. This part of the trail contextualises the park by exploring the relationship between the history of the city, the mountain and the sea.

The sea smell of the harbour is strong, and mingles with the diesel and breakfast smells of the busy waterfront. The sky is cerulean blue, and cloudless. It will be a hot day, but beautiful.

I meet my fellow travellers and the city guides from "Footsteps to Freedom". They are our hosts on this first day, and brief us about what to expect on their historical tour of the city.



We begin with a brief tour of the Robben Island Museum. This is followed by a harbour tour, and it's easy to imagine why Hoerikwaggo means "mountain in the sea". From this perspective the mountain rises up from the ocean, the gulls hang suspended in the air, and sea fat seals lounge in the tires on the harbour walls.



Moving further out of the harbour we're priviledged to watch as about 30 dolphins feed and dive and cut through the water with choreographed precision. It's hard to know where to look they are so fast and there are so many of them slick and glistening in the green of the sea. We can see the silvered fish they are chasing, and the seals and gulls join in the spectacle.



The Waterfront documents much of Cape Town's early history. Many of the old buildings that front the city all have a role in the modern Waterfront, just as they did more than a hundred years ago, when this was a contested site, and battles raged between people, land and sea.

Back on the edge of the city, we start to walk up towards the mountain, and step by step we retrace 350 years of dramatic history: the arrival of the dutch, colonialism, imprisonment, slavery, apartheid, violence and confrontation, but also freedom, hope, multi-culturalism and reconcialiation.



And so we walk together through time, past Gallows Hill, up towards Bo Kaap and along Chiappini street, past homes built in the 1760s, bright against the blue blue sky and cobbled streets. The colours are intense-reds, yellows, orange, purples, greens... We learn about the Auwal Mosque, dating from 1794, and the religious and cultural influences that have helped shape the city.



Making our way to Heritage Square we walk past St Stevens Dutch Reformed Church, the "Groote Kerk", and then on towards the old town hall, past flower sellers and some of Cape Town's Art Deco architecture.



Two police men on horse back amble by, the horses' shod feet clanging on the cobbles. The granite of the buildings has soaked up the sun and is warm and smooth to touch. And always the mountain in the background, looking out towards the sea.

Grand Parade has witnessed its share of history as well. A recently freed Nelson Mandela stood here, in sight of the old castle (the oldest occupied building in South Africa), and spoke about freedom and tolerance, to a nation on the verge of a new era.



There is so much to see and hear, and the guides pause often to recount an anecdote or to share some historical information. The District Six Museum documents the rich and distinctive cultural life of this part of Cape Town that was shattered by the forced removals in the 1960s. The personal testimonies articulate these experiences with messages of loss, of hope, of individual triumphs and sorrows. The small details weave a rich and moving tapestry that sensitively captures an important part of the city's past.



We wind up past parliament and the old Company Gardens, before we stop for a delicious lunch and a chance to digest the morning's activity.

Well fed and refreshed we begin to make our way up towards the Platteklip Wash houses at a leisurely pace.

The morning's overview of Cape Town's cultural history begins to tie up with the natural history of the area. The mountain has played a pivotal role in supplying the city with water. The unique geology of the mountain means that at the interface between the granite and the sandstone of the mountain, springs abound, and feed a number of reservoirs and streams with sweet fresh water, running downwards to the sea, trickling, gushing, gurgling water.

It's hot and we enjoy the shady pauses to look and learn about the old reservoirs, and the farm, Oranjezicht, which flourished between the moutain and the sea, and which is now a charming residential area.

The supply of water to the city was really fundamental to the growth of Cape Town-while the natural harbour was far from perfect and the seas tumultuous at best, the Cape had water for the settlers, and this water came from the moutain.

The 1880s saw a flurry of infrastructure development: the municipal wash-houses were built and the Molteno reservoir was completed. A town wide drainage scheme was also implemented. In the 1890's when existing water sources were no longer adequate for the growing town, new reservoirs were built on top of the mountain, and water from these was used to drive turbines at the Graaf Electric Light Works.

The final day of the hike will take us up to these dams on the back of the table...

We arrive at the Wash Houses to be greeted by ice cold drinks and hot tea. The heat lifts a little and after a cool drink there's a little time before dinner to chat and chill in the hammocks. I take a luxurious shower-this is unlike any hike I've been on so far. We walked a lot today, but at a fairly gentle pace. No blisters, no backpacks to carry (the hike is portered) and possibly the most comfortable beds I've ever slept on!

Dinner is at 7. I'm drawn to the dining room by wafts of cumin and coriander. Jean, the chef, is a Cape Town legend in her ownright. She's a tiny Capetonian, with a direct and forthright manner, ready smile and an impressive knowledge of Cape Cuisine. She's completed the hike as well "and I'm NOT a hiker", she makes clear, "but I enjoyed every step of the way even although my steps are so little I had to take more than anyone else", she winks.

The menu consists of a number of starters and salads, atchas, chutneys and pickled fish-it's home made and delicious-even the pickled fish skeptics agree! There's a lentil and dhal paste with warm rotis, fish cakes and moist and fragrant samoosas, cabbage and peach salad (DELICIOUS!) and then the main course-a vegetable curry with flavoursome malay chicken, and bobotie (a curried ground beef and egg custard dish) flavoured with bunga kantan (wild ginger) and nutmeg, and raison-sweet funeral rice. The meal is designed to be eaten in bits, with the wide array of tastes carefully selected and reflective of the rich culture that we began to explore during the course of the day.

The term "Malay" does not reflect the geographic origins of the so-called "malay" community, but rather the first group of "Malay" state prisoners, who landed on the shores of South Africa from Java and the neighboring Indonesian islands in the late 1600's. Many more followed in the years 1727 until about 1749.

Dr. Christian Louis Leipoldt, a Cape born surgeon, poet, chef and wine connoisseur, who died in 1947, describes the "outstanding characteristics" of Malay cooking as "the free, almost heroic use of spices and aromatic flavourings, the prolonged steady, but slow application of moist heat to all meat dishes, and the skillful blending of many diverse constituents into a combination that still holds the essential goodness of each".

Of course this cooking has been influenced by Immigrants from Europe, convicts from China, slaves from Mozambique and the prisoners from Java, creating a multi-ethnic cuisine. One can imagine the aromas emanating from kitchens producing highly spiced dishes from Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and especially oriental recipes handed down for generations...

Did I mention dessert and cheese board yet? And the wine?

Dinner winds down and I imagine the city settling at the base of the mountain for the night, as we sip on a final coffee out by the lapa, around a blazing fire. We watch the briefing video for tomorrow's hike and formally meet the Hoerikwaggo guides, Antonio and Grabeth. Then bed.

The Platteklip Wash Houses, which were for years used by slavewomen and freed slaves to do the laundry of the colony, are secluded and serene. In the quietness of my bed, tucked between the fresh white sheets, I am left with this image of "Hoerikaggo", the moutain rising up out of the sea, with riverlets of sweet water flowing down from the top to the base, and with this water, life.

I fall asleep thinking of what an extraordinary place Cape Town is, and of the mountain, always of the mountain, and the water, trickling trickling trickling down into the sea.

I awake to another day of perfect skies, sea-bright-blue and fresh smelling, with a hint of haze on the horizon. On a winter's day I imagine those crisp white cotton sheets, plump pillows and opulent duvets would be difficult to leave behind. As it is I feel lazy and energized at the same time, well rested, but eager for the day to start. After a hot shower, I emerge from my room smelling of sunscreen. Breakfast. Juice. Cofffffeeeeee. I'm more in love with the coffee than ever. I give into the heady fumes and slurp at the pungent brew. ahhhh.



After the first few sips I notice the extraordinary attention to detail that has gone into the selection of prints on the wall. They are a mixture of black and white and colour prints of the city, and the streets that we walked through yesterday. Some locations are exact and its unsettling, but intriguing, to look at a picture from 50 or a 100 years ago, imagining yourself in a different era. The images tie-up time, linking the past to the present with simple, powerful symbols of the city and the mountain.

Yummy breakfast finished, we're kitted out with small day packs containing water, lunch and wet weather gear, ready to go. The guides put the group at rest immediately with their relaxed and confident manner. We run through the plan for the day, a safety briefing and a Q and A session. Then..."let's walk". As this is a portered hike, our other bags have already left and are making their way up the back to the mountain to the second night's accommodation, on the table top.



Throughout its history, Table Mountain has been eroded by the action of wind, fire, ice and water. The flat face of the mountain is a cliff face, caused by the action of waves when the sea lapped against it. Today it's covered in a prolific display of pink disas .Already at the base of the mountain the view over the city is stunning, out towards the sea, or up at the extraordinary geological entity that has played such a definitive role in the evolution of Cape Town. I'm glad of the sunscreen. Up up up we go, and then a short way along the Taffelberg Road, past Platteklip gorge and to the cable station.



This walk takes us about an hour, with stops for pictures and snippets of information from the Hoerikwaggo Guides. These young men are of the city and somehow of the mountain too, their legs strong, their tone assured and their knowledge sound. They know this mountain, and, as is immediately evident, love this mountain. Antonio has a wide and ready smile, and Grabeth has an engaging manner. Jerry, who is about to graduate from his year of training as a Hoerikwaggo Guide, has come along on this hike, to see his seniors in action, and he will lead the group on the final day of the trail, around the back table.

I look forward to chatting more with these young men, but now it's up the mountain...

The "up" part of this trip has not been strenuous at all so far-the legs have been stretched, but pleasantly so...and in keeping with the luxury nature of the trail, the group goes up the mountain in the cable car.



In bad weather, the group will use Platteklip Gorge, and depending on the fitness of the group, and their preferences, some people can arrange to climb the mountain with one of the guides, while the rest of the group takes the cable car. This is not recommended though-the hike has been designed to allow a thorough exploration of the table top. The hike along to Maclear's Beacon and down and round towards the Overseer's Cottage is a comfortable 7 kilometres at a relaxed pace. The longer I spend on the hike, the more I realize the kind of thought that has gone into it-and by now I'm ready to trust the trail which realistically speaking, is probably better than trusting my fitness levels on Platteklip Gorge!

The cable car trip is exciting in itself-steep and fast and literally breath-taking. It's an amazing feeling to be swept up to the mountain top and watch the cable decend toward the sea. And then we're on top of the mountain. We stop and look at a topographical map of the table top, and identify where we are relative to well known landmarks. Antonio points out the days route, and then we commence the trek across the table.





It's hard to describe the energy on top of the mountain. It's completely alive, teeming with colour and texture and smell the bitter sweet honeyed smell of fynbos, and cool air. I keep thinking that if I blink too hard or close my eyes the scene must change it can't be real. Perhaps that's because my eyes are accustomed to the tricks of artful photography and digitally enhanced perfection when I see the real thing, I have to look twice, three times. City life continues down below, but up here is another world...

The initial euphoria dies down and the guides lead us along the well maintained paths. Many of these have had the signage replaced to better integrate with the landscape and to maintain the integrity of the table top.

Antonio tells us that the indigenous flora of the mountain encompasses some 1 470 species, including more than 500 species of erica and 100 species of iris. South Africa's national flower, the protea, is found in abundance on the slopes. It's astounding. The impression is one of undeniable ruggedness, yet a simultaneous fragility.



The mountain and the plant life withstand hot dry summers with howling winds and prolonged lashing winter storms. The soil is nutrient-poor, sandy and acidic, and fire is fundamental to the ecology of the vegetation. The mountain must burn and from fire comes life. And yet the fynbos (finebush) is delicate and easily destroyed by human activities. Large areas have been overtaken by the aggressive spread of exotic tree species. Many local plant species are endangered to the point of extinction by alien plants like Port Jackson, Black Wattle, Long-leafed Wattle, pine and rooikrans. Antonio talks about mountain's flora with feeling, and kind of tenderness. His long, fine fingers point out their intricacies and quirks, their colors, textures and relationships to the plants around them.

This is not just text book learnt knowledge. It's intuitive and intelligently recounted, with humor and great sensitivity. This is the story of the mountain in the sea, Hoerikwaggo, these plants are part of it's secret world...strong, fragile, adaptable, resilient, and growing upwards towards the blue blue skies in yellows, orange, mauve and a thousand shades of green...from the sea the mountain and from the mountain, abundant life...

The trail guides continue leading us towards Maclear's Beacon, stopping periodically for photos, and to share their knowledge of the mountain and of themselves.

The guides have been selected from the Cape Town community and have undergone an intensive training programme. The mountain has brought out qualities in them that were previously undiscovered, and given them opportunities they otherwise would have missed. Their stories really are ones of hope and encouragement. The guides deserve a profile of their own and one day I look forward to writing it. Antonio describes the mountain as a mentor full of wisdom, in the rocks and plants, the nourishing low slung clouds and the creatures that call this mountain home. Walking onwards, I feel a string sense of peace and of place.



Maclear's Beacon marks the highest point on Table Mountain, 1 086m. The beacon was constructed in 1844 by the then Astronomer Royal at the Cape, Sir Thomas Maclear, as part of his efforts to measure the arc of the meridian of the earth. It's a great vantage point from which to imagine such lofty ideas, with the Cape Peninsula spread out below us.

At Maclear's beacon, we meet up with a group on the "People's Trail". This outreach trail was developed specifically for young people from the disadvantaged communities of Cape Town. As a guided educational hike it aims to expose South African youth to nature and instil a love of the environment in the hearts of the next generation "the future custodians" of Table Mountain. It's great to see.





We continue on downwards now, to the south of the main plateau, and a lower part of the range called the Back Table, via a route that General Smuts hiked frequently. Again, the pathways are well maintained, and hiking pleasant, with great views, some minor scrambling, and a puffadder lying close to the path!



We also see lots of agamas and the odd skink... The mountain is alive with birdcalls, the Cape Sugar Bird, The Double Collared Sunbird...there are chirps from frogs and the flutters of butterflies and dragonflies. We cross a stream, clear and clean enough to refill our water bottles, and home to many large tadpoles, and a nonchalant toad.



We stop for lunch in a patch of indigenous shade provided by yellow wood trees at the top of Nursery Ravine. It's delicious after the hot morning's hike to tuck into fruit and sandwiches, yoghurt, scotch eggs and other snacks. We rest for about half an hour. The sounds of the moutain are tranquil, there is laughter, silence, soft chatter. The rocks are lichen covered and moist, the moisture coming from the moutain, dampened by low passing clouds and the flora growing in the light of the summer sun, blooming, teeming, abundant ...I feel part of a big and complex picture up here, and it's beautiful...

The afternoon hike down towards the Overseer's Cottage, tonight's accommodation, affords us the most spectacular views, as the path negotiates mountain and sky.

We amble past rocket reed, pretty daisies and ericas, yellow everlastings and the tall, salmon-pink flowers of the gladioli-like watsonia.



We stop to investigate the pink hairy heath (one of the seasonal ericas). They are, appropriately enough, pink and hairy. We also take a closer look at the tassel heath, with its distinctive inward curling leaves and red tassel-like, downward pointing flowers which are characteristic of this time of year.The guides spot a beautiful pale blue disa , up on an inaccessible rocky ledge.



After about two hours of walking, we see our accommodation and it's a short hike down to ice cold refreshments and a warm welcome from Jean and her crew.



The Overseer's Cottage has been revamped into stylish and comfortable overnight facilities offering unsurpassed views of Cape Town on the one side and the total wilderness of the mountain chain on the other. The same crisp linen clothes all the comfy beds, the lounge areas and the deck are furnished with beautiful examples furniture made from cleared alien trees. The photographs have been selected with the same attention to detail as at the Wash Houses, as have the hand crafted fittings.



There are ample, gas-heated hot water showers and half of the group decides to shower or nap-the photographers explore a little further. I take out a book and plan to read a little, but instead lounge out in the late afternoon sun like a lazy lizard, deliciously relaxed and comfortable.



The nappers emerge and the photographers return. There is a sunset walk planned and armed with cold sundowners, we head off past one of the 5 dams along the back table.

Between 1896 and 1907, five dams, the Woodhead, Hely-Hutchinson, De Villiers, Alexandria and Victoria reservoirs, were opened on the Back Table to supply Cape Town's water needs. There are old walls and stone channels feeding them but this we explore tomorrow...

Now we head towards the setting sun. We scramble over and under some rocks, walk a little more and suddenly arrive at the rocky ledge that over looks a spectacular gorge, down towards Hout Bay.



The view ahead of us is so outrageously beautiful that there is a an audible gasp. We stand there, filled with laughter and lightness and look over towards the setting sun.Then we settle along various vantage points and watch as two black eagles ride a thermal, and as the silvered light changes and the world begins to glow in the rays of the setting sun.





We sip our drinks in homage to the scene before us, laughing, relaxed, and I plan quite casually to sell my flat in Pretoria, and move to Cape Town, to live on fresh air and beauty alone beneath the mountain in the sea. In the strange afterglow of the sunset, we return to the cottages, past the pewtered dam.



A fire is blazing in the central fireplace, taking the chill out of the much cooler air. Dinner is a feast which even the most dedicated of eaters can not quite conquer, with a wide array of salads and borewors and lamb and roasted vegetables, then chicken comes out, more salads it is all delicious and accompanied by a nice selction of Cape wines, followed by a selection of divine desserts. The meals are beautifully presented and prepared, and dinner proceeds at a leisurely pace, tasting this, having some of that a bit more of that salad, more lamb the sunset mood lingers in the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

The sky has darkened while we feasted and coffee in hand, we venture out into a chilly but clear night, the city lights scattered on the glittering night-time canvas.

Beyond the lights, darkness, and a slow rising moon, glowing upwards, upwards, over this magical landscape. Scattered clouds soflty skim and swirl the colours of the night around us. In silence here, on top of the world, we stand and gaze outwards, towards the dark dark seas and the rising moon.

Between going to bed and waking up, the clouds have rolled in over the table top. On this final morning, breakfast is later than on previous days and I get to lie-in. As I imagined, leaving those beds is not easy-they're ridiculously cosy as the wind roars and the rain beats down in the cloudy early morning light. It's decadent!

The plan for the final day is to explore the back table. Wet weather gear is definately needed! However, once up and showered, over a hot cooked breakfast, the group decides to cut short the last day of the hike. This is not at all usual-but as this was a 'media' hike, all involved were anxious to get back to the office with deadlines to meet. I'll have to head back to Cape Town to do this final day and report back.

Several mugs of coffee later, we set off down the jeep track towards Kirstenbosch. The weather has settled slightly, and the walk is exhilerating in the mist and gentle rain. It's the kind of wether that makes you want to laugh out loud and we were a boistrous group that made our way downwards, wet and wild!

I would just like to congratulate TMNP on this great product, and thank all those involved in making the trip so amazing, from the caterers, to Patricia who handled my booking with aplomb, Nico, the logstics manager who went out of his way on my behalf more than once, to Stephen for being a comsummate host, my fellow hikers for the truely wonderful company, and to the Guides, who lead us up the mountain in the sea...Hoerikwaggo! I will be back...