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I climbed up Table Mountain last weekend, it took me 3 and a halve hours to get to the top. I went the rought travelling just below the cable car. It takes about 3-4 hours, if you take a slow relaxing walk with a few rest breaks in the middle.

Here are a few photos of the trip:

Cape Point


Hecticly amazing scenery here , and a good place to spot Bontebok.

It's at the western coast of Table Mountain NP - Cape of Good Hoop section, more specifically Gifkommetjie. It's a beautiful place, sees few visitors (most people rush to cape point, take in the view for a second, rush to the cape of good hope, take in the view for a second and rush back to either Boulders beach or Chapman's Peak, depending on how they started the day ) and you can do some fantastic hikes from the parking space!

Does anyone know whether there is a reef here that makes the water so turmoil?

there is alot of submerged rock/reefs around Cape Point, making it a not too lekker place to sail around, usually gave it a fairly wide berth

As you no doubt know, the seas around the Cape Peninsula are where the cold Benguela and the warm Atlantic currents meet and mix. I have a clear memory of going to Cape Point one time, and looking out and seeing the thermocline in the ocean - a definite white line stretching into the sea, and marking where the currents met.

For me, it was a very special sighting. I have no idea how common this is - certainly I've been to Cape Point often, and have only seen it once. Have other forumites seen it?

Of course, the difficulty may be recognising what you see - I was lucky to have an expert with me at the time, or I wouldn't have had a clue!

Here's a satellite pic of Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope: Clicky

Thanks, Katja!! And you can clearly see all the shelving/reefs off of the Cape of Good Hope that causes (some of) the disturbed waters offshore. Some of the whitecaps are also caused by winds, but this is a notoriously dangerous area for shipping and any vessels, which all wisely stay well off shore

I think that this turmoil in question is "Bellow's Rock"? And it is indeed one of the many dangerous rocky out-crops that occur off Cape Point!

Another famous submerged rock is Whittle Rock in False Bay. Sailors can be warned of this dangerous rock as it's location can be found by lining up the two crosses in Cape Point (Dias and Da Gama), and then by another above the Simonstown golf course.
This is also why the white Dias Cross is painted black on it's eastern side, so it is visible to sailors against the blue sky background.

Interesting article about Silvermine, which is part of TMNP.

Thanks Arks,
I have been to Silvermines a few times, but then it was as a local. This input is valuable.
I really love that area. In some ways it reminds me of certain areas of Scotland.

If you are looking for a different hike to do, one I used to do a lot is the Platteklip Gorge. It is quite a steep hike, but is not too strenuous. It takes about 1.5hrs, depending on how fast you go. This is a nice one to do, if you are planning to take the cable car down, as you need to walk along most of the mountain to get to the cable car from the end point of this hike.

Climbed the mountain in September, 1 hour up 30 mins down, Skeleton Gorge.



Hely Hutchinson Reservoir

View from the top of Newlands and Rondebosch