Hiking Silvermine, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay 3

From Muizenberg Peak looking NW to Constantiaberg, Constantia Nek. You can see the back of Grootkop particularly well.

From Muizenberg Peak looking south to Kalk Bay Mountain, Elsie's Peak, Simonstown and Simonstown Mountain and in the distance, Cape Point.

From Muizenberg Peak looking East across False Bay to the Hottentots' Holland Mountains and, on the end, Hangklip.

The steep path from the top of Peck's Valley to Muizenberg Peak.

Haven't yet found the name of this in my flower book. Looks like a Protea. Very pretty.

These two shots are of Muizenberg, with False Bay behind and to the right, taken from various heights up the Peck's Valley ascent. The play of the light on the water was just beautiful.

This last one was taken by Sir Lawrence Olivier, with his very fancy 10 MPix Canon. But he was kind enough to shrink the size of it before emailing to me. Sunrise over Sandvlei.

More of the same I am afraid. I don't get tired of doing it but maybe the reading becomes a bit repetitive. But what can I say - another superb hike, and we were down for lunch.

6.30 start as usual from False Bay Station in Muizenberg. I got there a little early so had a walk around the block - Milner, Holland, Cromer, Albertyn. There are some really lovely old houses in that part of the suburb and I liked the feel of the place. Muizenberg has the probably undeserved reputation in the Southern Peninsula for crime and drug dealing, and there certainly were more high walls and electric fences than I have perhaps noticed elsewhere, but I didn't feel unsafe walking around and my gut feel was good. I think that part of the suburb dates back about 100 years so the houses are pretty substantial, solid and conventionally styled, though some have been renovated.

We were 7 when we started but one of the youngster's knee was giving trouble so he turned back which left 3 young bucks and 3 old farts - the usual compliment for the Tri-Glutei. Followed the usual route up to Boyes Drive and then up Peck's Valley. For some reason today was deemed Afrikaans Day and everyone was to speak Afrikaans. Which was fine by me as I didn't really feel like talking much. Consensus was that we made better time today but it felt about the same as usual to me - the "endless stone steps" were no less endless. We had our usual "sit down and catch your breath whilst pretending to look at the view" at the four-way junction next to the first military radio station, then turned right and headed up to Muizenberg Peak (507m). It was a fairly steep incline so conversation diminished somewhat though it did not entirely disappear - Sir Lawrence still had enough breath to regale us with a perfectly awful song whose details I cannot now recall, but I know it was awful. There are two peaks, about 200m apart, about the same height. The northern one has a trig beacon. It is worth clambering to the southern one as well as the views over Muizenberg itself are spectacular.

Sir Lawrence read some Afrikaans poetry by Elizabeth Eybers about a bus ride ("Busrit in die aand") and My Learned Colleague, the lawyer, read two poems by Eugene Marais, one in Afrikaans ("Waar Tebes in die Stil Woestyn") and one in English (can't remember the title or find it on the internet). I preferred the one in Afrikaans but I liked both and made a mental note to read some of his poetry. Also a mental note to bring some of my favourites with me next time.

When we had rested, eaten and drunk, we continued along the path towards Higher Steenberg Peak and then back down to the Wireless station, down to Junction Pool, left and up to Nellie's Pool where we again stopped for refreshment, and then South down a loose gravel path with a gentle gradient which took us through a lot of mimetes and pincushion bushes (not in flower but pretty nonetheless) to Ou Kraal, Weary Willy's and down into Kalk Bay. We headed for the Dalebrook Tidal Pool for the by now traditional dip - it was as exquisitely refreshing and welcome as ever - and then had to run back to Kalk Bay Station to buy our tickets and catch, just in time, the 11.14 train to False Bay, where my car waited for me. All in all another excellent hike.

"Waar Tebes in die Stil Woestyn" - Eugene Marais

Daar sou ek vrede weer besef
Waar Tebes in die stil woestyn
Sy magtig' rotswerk hoog verhef
En Mara in die sand verdwyn;

Waar smôrens van die hoogste krans
Die berghaan draaiend opwaarts spoed
Om uit die gloeiend' hemeltrans
Met groot geroep die son te groet;

Waar treurig nog die wolfgehuil
Weerklankend in die klowe dwaal,
En grootwild om die syferkuil
Soos skadu's in 'n stofwolk maal;

En huiswaarts brommend sluip die tier,
Sy donker moordplek pas verlaat,
Wanneer die eerste grou lumier
Met slepend' mis die veld beslaat.

O Land van al ons liefde, daar
Sou ek aanbiddend weer
Die kloppe van U hart gewaar,
U moederlike skoonheid eer.

Sou ek een guns nog hier verdien,
- Nog een gebed omhoog verhoord -
Geen mensepraal sou ek wou sien,
Die glorie van geen vreemde oord.
My bede sou net dit verkry: -
Laat weer U eensaamheid my daar
Vir laas met roerend' mag berei
U groter stilte te aanvaar.

Laat uitlok deur geen suil of steen
'n Enkel sug of woord van haat;
Met al U vrede om my heen
Sal nagt'liks uit die hemelstraat
Sag neerskyn op my laaste huis
Die vonkelend' sterrebeeld van U kruis.

Elk' ydel vrees sal daar verdwyn;
Daar sou ek vrede weer besef
Waar Tebes in die stil woestyn
Sy magtig' rotswerk hoog verhef.

Busrit in die Aand - Elisabeth Eybers

Elk langs sy yl weerkaatsing in die ruit,
sit hulle suf, met monde moeg gesluit,
die werkers van die stad wat huis toe gaan.

Skaduwee-skimme gly verby...Dis laat,
en lang ligvaandels wapper oor die straat
soos oor ‘n dam die blinkpad na die maan.

Ons ploeg deur stormsee met ons kaperskuit:
die stuurman voor, die passasiers die buit
wat ons as slawe huis toe bring vanaand...

Die vaartuig waggel afdraand, om die draai
met skril gekners en skommelende swaai,
en hyg en skok en snork en swoeg opdraand,

terwyl ons, soos twee kinders opgetoë,
mekaar toelag met glinsterende oë...
Asof hul jammerlik hul lot kan raai,

sit hulle suf, met monde moeg gesluit,
elk langs sy yl weerkaatsing in die ruit,
die werkers van die stad wat huis toe gaan.