Simons Town Area

On Sunday I tried again to go for the run through the sports centre and this time found the entrance blocked by a family of baboons!! Apparently they they are endangered, but can be aggressive, especially if they think that you are carrying food. The local dustbins are baboon proof and residents have to be careful about leaving windows and doors open in case the baboons raid the house.

I tentatively followed them at a distance, admiring the enviable slow relaxed way they have of walking. Then when the entrance was clear went jogging up the hill. After thoroughly exploring all the wrong directions worked out where the proper track was but was too tired to follow it. It is the first time I have been running since October

The local beaches of Glen Cairn and Fish Hoek are very nice, sandy, not too crowded and close to good cafes! Does it get any better than this. On Sunday we went very early to the tidal pool at St James beach. Even though it was early we only just squeezed in to park at the station and it was crowded.

In the meant!ime I had been reading a local walking guide and so on Monday got the train to Fishhoek and after checking out Bettys cafe, walked back to the house via Elsie's peak. Including walking along to the end of the ridge overlooking the Atlantic this took about two and half hours and I really enjoyed the incredible variety, flowers and fragrance of the fynbos. And never met a soul!

The following day I ventured further afield and went to Simon's Town which is a lovely place with a pleasant colonial atmosphere and somehow the genteel atmosphere of a place designed for british naval officers. The Sweetest Thing Patisserie serves excellent coffee and has a lovely high ceiling and very nice ambience. I walked along the road to Seaforth and then followed the trail to Block House Gap and onto Simonsberg. The made trail ends there (and so did my map) but the path heading south looked so obvious that I just followed it and discovered one of the best ridge walks I had done for a long time. Nicely level, sandy underfoot reminiscent of walking along a coastal path but either with views west over pleasant hills or occasionally dramatic views to the East of a steep drop of 600m to a wild looking coast. And towards the end of the walk dramatic views to the South of the headland of Cape Point and the sea beyond stretching off to Antartica.

Eventually the path came out to forestry station at Smithswinkel where I got into conversation and was given a lift back to Simon's Town and checked out Bertha's Restaurant and Coffee House which is in a really good location over the harbour but was a bit posh for me.