Hiking Silvermine again

Looking south down the peninsula chain from Noordhoek Peak

Promontories from left: Elsie's Peak, Simonstown Mountain.

Protea cynaroides, the King Protea, South Africa's national flower.

Looking across Hout Bay from Noordhoek Peak.

From left: Sentinel, Kapteinspiek, Karbonkelberg Peak, Suther Peak, Little Lion's Head

Silvermine Dam and the Amphitheatre. 

Note the crazy swimmers.

Protea

?? P. nitida / Wagon tree / Waboom

Protea

?? P repens / Common Sugar Bush / Suikerbos

Long Beach and Kommetjie, from Noordhoek Peak

The Triglutei had a fairly lengthy break. Or at least this member of the Triglutei did. I think the others tried to keep it going with one or two walks. The problem was that Gluteus number one, Sir Lawrence, got some work, and then got sick. So he was out of the running with flu and gypo and wat-ook-al for a while and only really got back on his feet this week. Gluteus number 2, My Learned Colleague, was available, as were a number of the riff-raff, but we just didn't get our act together.

Sir Lawrence asked me after Thursday's squash (which I won, for once), "So how about a hike on Saturday morning?" I must confess I did not jump at the opportunity. The winter has been drawing in, we have replaced the summer bedcovers with the big thick weighty down duvet, the sun is only rising after 7 and the prospect of getting up at 5.30 on a Saturday did not exactly thrill me. "Where?" I asked. "Wherever," he said, "how about we try that circular route you talked about in Silvermine?" Well, that got me interested. I walked that path back in the late seveties or eighties when we first came to Cape Town, with my parents and I'm not sure whom else. I remembered the spectacular views over Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak and Noordhoek, and the serenity of the mountain dam in the middle of the amphitheatre. Yes, that would indeed be a good way to spend a Saturday morning, even if it meant getting up at 5.30 in the dark and stumbling over the Corgies.

Funny how six weeks changes everything. Last time I went I packed a swimming costume and towel and wore shorts and a T shirt. This time I wore a woolly cap (which has a flag and says "RSA" in big letters: appropriate, I thought, before the World Cup), a think fleecy tracksuit top, tracksuit pants and I took an anorak in the bag. I was later glad I had.

I picked the other three up in Muizenberg just after 6.30. It was still dark. We drove slowly around the mountain and up Ou Kaapse Weg, arriving at the closed and locked Reserve Gate around 6.50. The Eastern sky was ablaze and it was no hardship to wait the ten minutes until the Warden arrived and opened up. A group of runners had just made it to the top from the other side of Ou Kaapse, one of whom I recognized as a friend of mine who has run the Comrades Marathon many times. They offloaded some empty cold-drink cans into our boot and went their way - interesting gesture. I told my party that this fellow is one of the few people I know who will stop in the middle of a marathon for a smoke break. He says he likes the taste.

It cost the others R15 each to get in: I got in for free thanks to my Wild Card. The poor official was still a bit sleepy and informed me with some satisfaction that as from next week opening time will be 8 a.m. not 7 a.m. We drove up the tar road as far as the parking lot next to the dam and left the car there.

The circular road, which is also a track for mountain bikers, takes you  northwest, up the Silvermine valley, up some fairly hectic zigzags and over the lip of the amphitheatre. In places the road is steep enough to have warranted concrete strips; for most of the rest it is loose gravel. We passed the turnoff to Elephant's Eye Cave and decided against making the detour, which would have added an hour to the trip. A small flock of malachite sun-birds was flitting from one bush to another, their brilliant green plumage catching the morning light. Too small to photograph satisfactorily with my camera unfortunately. 

We walked on up the valley betwen Constantiaberg and Noordhoek Ridge, which is called Prinskasteel Valley, according to my map, climbing steadily and stopping every so often to turn around and admire the rising sun over False Bay and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the distance. The valley was mostly in shade and there was a brisk breeze blowing in from the south east, so it was fairly chilly. The flowers were good - Erica's particularly and some really superb King Protea specimens. I think most had flowered a month or so ago and were starting to dry out, but there were one or two new ones.

Where the main track turned south west, we continued on the path to the lookout over Hout Bay and were pretty much blown away by the view, fortunately;y not by the wind. Quite stupendous. You look down on Hout Bay, the Sentinel/Hangberg (331m), Kapteinspiek (414m), Hout Bay Harbour and Hout Bay Heights, the rather bizarre "Lichtenstein Castle", Karbonkelberg Peak (653m) and Suther Peak (615m) which together make up the Karbonkelberg and over to the right Little Lion's Head (437m), which the map told me was formerly known as "Het Zuycker-Broodt", and Hout Bay Corner - the end of the Twelve Apostles. The Bay looked calm from 622m, but I expect it wasn't so calm down at surface level. There were very few cars on Chapman's Peak Drive.

We tried to find a path labeled "Skyline Panorama Path", but couldn't find the start, so went back to the main track and continued in an anticlockwise direction on the east side of Noordhoek Ridge, climbing all the time, until we reached another superb viewpoint and the start of a short path to the top of Noordhoek Peak (754m), with its pyramid cairn. The map warned "take care in high winds", and there certainly was a keen wind blowing, although not strong enough to blow us off. The problem was the sun and the wind seemed to be coming from the same direction, so it wasn't possible to get out of the wind without losing the sunshine. As a result we took our pictures, admired the view, but didn't stay long at the top.

The track then heads south east down Noordhoek Ridge, with good views over the southern peninsula, Long Beach, Noordhoek itself, Kommetjie, Ocean View and the rest of the Fish Hoek Valley and beyond. We passed a path to Chapman's Peak which looked worth investigating at some point. We saw a couple of raptors - one was a crow, the other was smaller with a barred tail - maybe a buzzard or something like that - raptors are not my forte. Then down some zig zags with occasional shouts of "Cyclists!" and the need to get out of the way or be ridden over, past what the map calls a "Large Kreupelhout", which looked to me more like a "Large Dead Kreupelhout" although it did have some signs of life in the upper braches - some rather beautiful yellow moss - past a old, rather dry dam, to the Noordhoek Viewpoint.We didn't climb the "koppie" for the full view - there was a pretty good one from the edge of the ridge. 

We then left the road and headed north east over the ridge into the amphitheater again. We saw a bird with a long tail sitting in the top of a protea bush which we concluded must be a Cape sugarbird. Then down to the Silvermine Dam, where we sat for a few moments to finish our juice and biscuits and watch some crazy people swimming, before heading down to Lakeside for coffee (for all) and a late breakfast (for some). General agreement that it had been a good walk and that the area deserved further exploration.

Hiking Silvermine, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay 4

Agapanthus

Mimetes Valley with False Bay and Simonstown in the distance

We thought this tree and boulder had character

Sunrise over False Bay and the Hottentots Holland Mountains

Some bright spark (one of the three primary glutei) suggested that we should try and make an earlier start today. Actually it was a sensible idea because the forecast for the day's weather was 35 Celsius. So I dutifully woke at 4.30, having made and packed my sandwiches and juice the night before, got my stuff together and headed out. I parked the car at Dalebrook tidal pool, in Kalk Bay, having been informed that the walk would end there.

I walked through Kalk Bay, St James and Muizenberg in the dark with my backpack. That may sound scary to South African city dwellers but it was along the Main Road, which is well lit, and even at 5.30 am on a Saturday there was a fair amount of traffic, including the odd demented cyclist practicing for the Argus in 3 weeks' time. I greeted the night guards on duty at the roadworks, manning the traffic lights at the one-lane section. I admired the string of really beautiful houses in the vicinity of Rhodes Cottage - most built around the turn of the last century although of course "Het Posthuys" is a lot older. I stopped to look at the progress made on the renovation of the old and somewhat infamous "Cape Sands" apartment block in Muizenberg, now renamed "Les Magnifique" or something equally pretentious and selling for from just under a million rand a pop for a one bedrrom apartment. Ah well, I guess it will look good when they finish and it was a bit of an eyesore. I wonder what happened to the hundreds of mostly expatriate African families who were living there. The old motorbike shop is now a second hand furniture emporium. There are two hairdressers right next to each other - who needs two hairdressers in a row - I don't even need one! Before long I was at Albertyn Road where I met the other glutei: maximi and minimi alike. As it turned out half the group had not gotten the message about the early start so we only left at 6.30 anyway.

Usually I stick with the old farts, but Sir Lawrence was in full volume mode already at 6.30 a.m. and I needed some solitude to help me wake up gently so thought I would walk with the young bucks. One fellow in particular seems to think it is a race - last week he made it from Boyes to the cross-path in 30 minutes. I had also brought my chest strap/heart rate monitor with me because I wanted to get a handle on what sort of exercise hiking offers one. I hit the start button just after we left Boyes up the path to Peck's Valley. I stood aside for him, muttering something like "Wouldn't want to hold you back" and we started our ascent. That first 5 minutes up what must be a 45 degree slope kills any conversation. Soon after, he drew aside to tie his shoelace, or so he said and I passed him saying that I just needed to keep on plodding and would see him shortly. He got further and further behind and soon it became clear that he wasn't able to keep up. When he finally did catch up he said something about having had a bad week and not having been able to train. Score one for the old farts! I made it in just under 30 minutes and was not even out of breath. So the interesting part: when I run my heart rate generally climbs to between 150 and 160, if it is a decent run with a few hills, and averages somewhere in the 130's. My Polar watch tells me all these things. In the climb up Peck's it maxed at 138 and averaged in the 120's. Well that isn't too shabby. That's more than 70% of my predicted maximum HR (174) and I kept it up for 30 minutes - tick off exercise session for the day, cardiologist happy.

We had a longish wait at Breakfast Rock (there is no breakfast rock, but there is a very nice rock at the top of Peck's where you can stop for breakfast). It was almost perfectly quiet, specially before the others arrived, only the odd chirrup of a sunbird going about its business, and the distant surge of the sea. Then it was over to the wireless station, down the road to junction pool up Mimetes Valley to Nellie's and down the diagonal path towards Ou Kraal. The youngsters had charged on ahead, so we let them, but instead of going to Ou Kraal, we took a left at a cairn and followed the hillside path which took us North, back towards Bailie's Kloof. It is a hidden treasure, clearly less used, taking you through a secluded smallish valley before bringing you into the top of Bailie's and the start of a rather steep descent. There seem to be two paths down Bailie's - the one we were not on is like a very long stone staircase and looks well used. Ours was more of a zigzag over to the right, but was clearly also a proper path. It wound around and under crags and small cliffs and then presented us with the option of left back to the main Bailie's path or right traversing over to the right under the cliff face, through indigenous forest and coming down St James Ravine. We chose the latter and were glad we had. More shade for a start. No uphill once we got to Boyes for a another. And finally just a very pleasant wooded path.

Then it was a relaxed walk down Boyes, cutting through St James down a long, steep flight of stairs, I forget which, different one to last time (not Jacob's Ladder). Again I marveled at the stunning old houses to right and left. They seem to have avoided being "improved" a la Atlantic seaboard style (all concrete, chrome and glass) - most retain considerable charm and seem well looked after. Just wish we could afford one! And then the customary dip in the tidal pool, which was already pretty full at 10.30. Home by 11 for a beer with an old friend who just happened to have dropped in. What else are Saturdays for?

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.

Hiking Silvermine, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay 2

Looking south to Simonstown.

The Old Mule track.

St James, False Bay and the Hottentots' Holland Mountains in the distance


Nellie's Pool

Sunrise over Fish Hoek. Red sky in the morning ... shepherds' warning.

So our Hiking Group has a name. Well, a name agreed to by Sir Lawrence Olivier and myself, and who cares about the rest. We are the Tri-Glutei. We were making our way down Echo Valley, a week or two back, and Sir Lawrence was giving us a rendition of Monty Python's "The Man with Three Buttocks". Now just about anyone who grew up in the seventies can render some Python when pushed hard enough - most of us do it badly and incompletely, but the material is so brilliant that even badly rendered it can usually raise a snigger, although I confess that even my patience is worn exceedingly thin by another wannabee stand up comic regaling the company with "This parrot is dead". But Sir Lawrence has actually studied the stuff and of course can do all the accents. So he gave a rendition worthy of Cleese et al, in my opinion, and the opinions of the others, judging by the laughter. Later, when I suggested the matter of any self-respecting hiking group needing a name, we went through a few rather lame and inappropriate suggestions before hitting on the "Men with Three Buttocks", in Latin the Tri-Glutei (with apologies to the anatomists - I know that the gluteal muscles and the buttocks are not exactlythe same thing, but give us some latitude here, please). And that is what we have become.

Last week we had to miss our hike. It was a pumping south easter the night before and at 6 am on Saturday it was still blowing a gale. There was thick cloud on Kalk Bay Mountain and reportedly on Muizenberg Mountain as well, when I phoned through, so discretion proved the better part of valour and we took a rain check.

Today, on the other hand, was absolutely superb. When we put the dogs out at 4 am there was not a breath of wind. The eastern sky was pink and the cloud patterns exquisite. By six there was just a hint of a westerly. I packed the rucksack (getting good at it now - anorak, 2l of water or juice, sarmies, fruit, flower book, maps, wallet, cell phone, suntan lotion, shades, hat - forgot a torch again) and slipped out. Parked the car near the Dalesbrook Tidal Pool, at the car park across from Holy Trinity Church, Kalk Bay (where I knew we would be finishing our hike) and walked/jogged along Main Road to Muizenberg, turning up the hill opposite Railway House, before the police station. There is a short sharp staircase followed by a good path and one then finds oneself on Boyes Drive, just up from the entrance to Farmer Peck's Valley path, where I met the others.

Peter Slingsby's map, of which I am now the proud owner, has a note on the Peck's Valley ascent which states "endless stone steps". He isn't kidding. He has it marked as 1.7km / 1h15m from Boyes drive, and I think that was about right as well - we got to the military telecoms installation around 8 am. The views across the bay going up were stupendous, made more so by the fact that I was the fittest of the old farts and so could afford to stop every 20m or so and look at a flower, take a picture or simply scratch where it itched. Incredible how the views are never the same twice. Today there was a bit of light cloud on the high peaks and some mistiness across the bay, not much wind, which meant that the surface was almost smooth, shimmering, quite beautiful.

We turned south west and followed a good gravel road 1.5km down to Junction Pool, which was dry. We stopped and ate some sarmies and drank our juice, all the while enjoying live entertainment from Sir Lawrence's seemingly endless supply of jokes, before turning south east and following a concrete strip road 0.6km to Nellie's Pool. The pool itself is charming - not very large, probably not deep enough to swim in (we didn't try) but surrounded by watsonia's and some other wild flowers, some lovely gnarled old trees and with a great view. We went on a little further to the information hub at the top of Mimetes Valley, presumably named because the Tree Pagoda, Mimetes Fimbriifolius, of the Protea family (which has the rather intriguing Afrikaans name "maanhaarstompie" - wonder where that came from) occurs there, and then turned West and walked 300m back to the stone beacon. We then turned South and followed a path which was at times sandy, at times rocky, up Speciosa Valley, again presumably named that because the Brown-beard Sugarbush, Protea Speciosa (Afrikaans: "Baard Suikerbos") occurs there. The path climbs from 390m above sea level to a lower peak (507m) and then up to the main Kalk Bay Peak (516m). That's a climb of 130m in about 1.5km or a gradient of around 1 in 10, by my reckoning. En route one walks along the edge of the massive, overlooking St James and Kalk Bay and the views are again breath-taking. Between the two peaks, right on the path, there is the entrance to the Tartarus cave. One has to duck to get in, but it is roomy enough inside. Since we had only one small torch between 6 of us, we didn't get any further than the first "room", but it looked interesting and we may revisit it another time with better torches.

After we had admired the 360 degree panorama from the Kalk Bay Peak trig beacon, a short descent took us to the head of Echo Valley and we started to head east, down towards Kalk Bay. The path runs through a stunning piece of indigenous milkwood forest and someone, we assume the Parks Board, has been kind enough to build a boardwalk/stairway running most of the way. We heard some birds calling from the tree tops but they were secretive and we were unable to see or identify them.

After the forest the path descends another 100m or so (from around 350m to around 250m) to a point behind a low peak called Ou Kraal (217m). Here there is a T junction. In fact there is a "straight" option as well which takes one a short distance to the top of the Ou Kraal buttress, but the main options are left to St. James Ravine and Bailey's Kloof or right to Weary Willie's and Kalk Bay. The problem was that the 3 young bucks got there well before the 3 old farts, turned left and by the time we appeared they were halfway down the path, out of earshot. So we were more or less obliged to follow, although it was taking us further and further away from Kalk Bay where the cool tidal pool which awaited us and where my car was parked. The path is called "The Old Mule Path" but my map has a note that "It is highly unlikely that any mule ever walked along this 1950's inspection path". Not sure if the insinuation was "No mule would have been silly enough" or just that noone could remember ever having seen a mule there. Reminded me of the mules in the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Who knows? It is a beautiful traverse above St James and the gentle gradient was welcome on our increasingly sore knees.

Before long we were back on Boyes Drive. Two fire-engines came screaming past heading for Muizenberg, sirens blaring and lights flashing. We later saw the smoke drifting out over False Bay from the Steenberg area and presumed that that was where the blaze had been. Didn't hear anything on the news. It is that time of the year - very dry, very hot and very dangerous. We went back down Boyes for a few hundred metres and then turned left down the aptly named "Jacob's Ladder" staircase. The path descends between some of the most delightful cottages (interspersed with some fairly impressive mansions) in Cape Town, in my humble opinion, which affords the opportunity to discuss where one would like to live if one had the R 3 million, which one doesn't.

Then a short walk along Main Road to Dalebrook Tidal Pool. This week I had remembered to bring both my swimming shorts and a towel. I expected the water to be cold, which it probably was, compared to our pool, but after a 4 hour hike it was heavenly. On the seaward side of the pool the water is deep enough to get a good swim, even to dive into, although this is officially not allowed. The one thought that occurred to me as I swam back and forth and wallowed in the coolth was "How nice not to have to wear a swimming cap as is mandatory at the gym!"

The best was that by noon I was home and able to plan what to do with the rest of the day, unlike those who were just getting out of bed.

Hiking Silvermine, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay 1

Leucospermum conocarpodendron - Pincushion - Kreupelhout

Erica hirtiflora - Table Mountain Hairy Heath

Watsonia tabularis - Table Mountain Watsonia

Syncarpha vestita - Cape Snow - Witsewejaartjie

Leucospermum conocarpodendron - Pincushion - Kreupelhout

I was a keen hiker in my youth - Wolf Cubs, Boy Scouts, family camping holidays and all that stuff. But more than that, I was genuinely fond of dragging my body up and down mountains or along deserted beaches, swimming across muddy river mouths or cooling off in clear mountain pools after a hard day's hiking. Then came marriage and kids and, well ... some passions one shares with one's family and some one doesn't. That's OK - I don't enjoy fleamarkets, or soapies, or shopping. To each his own. But the result has been that 20 years down the line I can count of two hands the number of hikes I have done since the day Widor's toccata shattered the peace of St Giles Presbyterian Church.

That was until 2 weeks ago.

A year or two ago I ran into an old school mate at the gym. It seemed we were in the same situation. I am 175 cm tall and weigh around 85kg (varies between 80 and 90 depending on the scale and my degree of depression), which gives me a body mass index of around 28. For those not in the know, this puts me in the "overweight" category, but not quite into the "obese" category. My friend is an inch or two shorter than me - maybe 170cm - and weighed 115kg at the time. That gave him a BMI of nearly 40. I don't know what category that is, but it is the anthropomorphic equivalent of XXXL and is not very complimentary. Clearly we both needed help. We started playing squash - once a week initially, now up to twice a week. He has lost 5kg and my game has improved. I look forward to those games, although I could do without the stiff muscles and sore joints for the few days afterwards. Sometimes we are joined by another fellow, also in his forty-mumbles with a similar physique and guilty conscience. Ja, well, no, fine.

Then 2 weeks ago BMI-40 asked me whether I like hiking. "Sure," I said, "used to do a lot of it, just haven't done much in ... um ...twenty years or so." Turned out he has started a hiking group which walks every Saturday morning, starting at 6.30 from his house in Muizenberg. "Great", I said, "I'll be there". Which I was. Left herself and the princesses sleeping and slipped out as the sun was coming up over False Bay. Beautiful morning. Drove north along Boyes Drive, down Old Boyes and found the house easily. We waited a few minutes for the rest of the party to materialise. Before long we had assembled two actors, a lawyer, a doctor and a collection of adolescent boys of various ages. Apparel ranged from "sensible" (running shoes, tennis socks, shorts, T shirt, shades, sunhat or peak) to "stylish" (brandname sports shoes, brandname socks, multicoloured brandname 3/4's, brandname T shirt, no shades or headwear) to "frankly inappropriate" (looked like office wear).

We set off at a good pace. The sun was up, there was the slightest of south easters and in all other respects it was a gorgeous day. From False Bay Station we headed up to Main Road and then past the junior school and up to Boyes Drive. The incline got rapidly steeper and the going heavier so the short respite of level walking on Boyes Drive as we traversed left was very welcome to those of us over forty and probably to a few of those not over forty as well. Then it was back to 30 degrees as we tackled the main slope up to the contour path and up Peck's Valley, between Muizenberg Mountain (507m) and the first of the Kalk Bay Mountain peaks (422m).

The young bucks sped ahead leaving those with varying amounts of grey hair to bring up the rear, which we did slowly, methodically, with dignity and rather quietly, not having too much breath to spare. Fortunately there were stunning wild flowers and stupendous views every few minutes which gave a good excuse for a rest and a photograph. As we climbed, the view over False Bay unfolded in a way which I can only describe as breath-taking - not that we had much breath to take. The morning sun reflected off the bay, the ranks of waves far below looking like ripples on a great pond (which I guess in truth they are), the faraway blue-grey Hangklip (454m), Buffelstalberg (844m), Rooielsberg (626m), Bloousteenberge (860 and 885m), Koeelberg (1269m), Hottentots' Hollandberge (459 - 1590m as one moves north east), Helderberg (1137m), Stellenboschberg (1384m) and Jonkershoekberge (1494m), majestic and serene. This really is a magnificent part of the world we live in!

About halfway up we were passed by a young man in smart black pants, dress shoes and a leather jacket. He looked, as BMI-40 remarked, like he was just coming back from a night of clubbing. He branched off to the left and headed towards Kalk Bay Mountain. Various theories were propounded as to the nature of his business on the mountain, most of them involving some connection with the underworld and none of them based on anything more than conjecture and imagination, but it diverted our minds from the pain in our thighs and calves for a while.

At the top of the valley one comes to a rather ugly military radio installation, presumably connected to the Navy base above Lakeside, and a T junction. Left to the Silvermine River ravine or right to the Steenberg peaks. We went left. The road follows a side ravine, a tributary of the Silvermine River and one descends from around 400m at the top to 280m where there is a waterfall. Well, there would be a waterfall if there were any water. Right now there is just a dry outcrop with a good view. We joined the main ravine and followed it all the way down to Noordhoek and the head of the Clovelly Valley, stopping once or twice for water or sandwiches. We went through one particularly bad patch of alien invasion - thick stands of Port Jackson Acacia. Just as we were muttering about the authorities "needing to do something about it", we noticed a "Working for Water" team of labourers a little way down the path, with bush saws and herbicide spray-cans, doing their work. They certainly have a challenging task.

We passed the environmental education center, on the site of the old farmhouses Groot Silvermyn and Klein Silvermyn, contemplated but decided against a swim in a pool, shaded by some rather wind battered oak trees, and finally stopped for a breather at an old ruin. The walls were thick and of stone and mortar. While we sat and munched and sipped, a lone hiker appeared walking up the valley. He could not have been under 70 and may well have been in his 80's. We exchanged pleasantries and I asked him whether he knew how old the building was and what it was. He said he thought it was a farmhouse dating back to the "early 1800's" - must do some research.

Now began the most hazardous part of the journey - the path goes right through the Clovelly Golf Course. In fact, I suspect one is not supposed to use it but there is no alternative route apart from bundu-bashing. One has to be on guard against stray golf balls. Some of the golfers were friendly, others distinctly unfriendly. So in fact one has to be on guard against well-aimed golf balls as well! I can see their point, but I do have a moral problem with an elitist sports club having monopoly of a piece of one of our national monuments, even if it is a relatively little piece - surely we can share it? And I don't care if Raymond Ackerman got there first. The Khoisan got there before he did.

We survived the 4 irons and the drivers and made our way through the leafy, flowery suburb of Clovelly proper, to the bottom of the path which runs over the Neck between Trappieskop (240m) and Cave Peak (445m). A lady was standing on her verandah and we greeted her. "Watch out for the cobras!" she said. "You're not serious!" returned my companion. "Oh yes," she said, "I see them often, crossing my driveway. You must stamp on the path as you go - they sense the vibrations and will keep out of the way!" Well, thanks for that! We didn't see any, but we certainly watched our step and we didn't have a problem with slackers. The path is short and sharp, so to speak. As one goes up, the view behind of the Fish Hoek valley, Kommetjie and Noordhoek unfolds, and then one comes over the rise and Kalk Bay, False Bay and the faraway Hottentots Holland mountains lie before one. Then it is a short downhill to Kalk Bay, where we were picked up and taken back to Muizenberg. All in all, a very enjoyable hike. Took us about 5 hours, but with lots of time to relax on the way.

The following Saturday it was much the same start - 6.30 straight up Peck's Valley to the T junction. Little less wind and a hotter day, but it was still pleasant that early. Again we turned left towards the Silvermine River Ravine but this time instead of joining the ravine we doubled back on a road which lead east around a lowish peak (271m) and towards False Bay. After a kilometer or so we turned right, south on a path which led us over a neck (480m) between Klein Tuinkop (492m) and Kalkbaaiberg (516m) into Kleintuinkloof and the Amphitheatre.

The Amphitheatre lies at an altitude of about 440m. There is a sandy clearing in the middle of a natural "amphitheatre" - of course the actors amongst us started fantasising about having live shows up here. We went 20m or so further up the valley to a spot shaded by some young yellowood trees and had our sandwiches and juice.

Then it was the long downhill through Echo Valley to Kalk Bay. Past the sinkhole and earth bridge (can't say I noticed either), and down the valley through Kroon se Bos / the Amazon Forest. The Parks Board or someone has been doing some serious work here with well constructed wooden board walks in many places and even a picnic spot with benches amongst the trees - quite beautiful. Past Red Lichen Rocks and Cavern Rocks (Hungry Harry's) - can't say I remember these either. Down a thousand steps past Wandering Will's Weary Wait (Weary Willy's) and down into Kalk Bay where we came out above the harbour. We walked down to Daleside Tidal Pool and thankfully plunged our hot and tired bodies into the cold water. After the swim we purchased train tickets back to Muizenberg but were told the train would only be coming in around 30 minutes so opted to get some ice creams in the meantime. It took the teenagers nearly half and hour to choose their ice creams at the Ice Hut but we made it back in time and caught the train. Then a short trip through to False Bay station and another week's hike was over.

Could get used to this.