We had another summer’s day in mid winter – a window of ideal hiking weather in the midst of the abundant rain and cold that we had been experiencing. The chosen route needed the clear skies to capture the surrounding views, from Hout Bay below to Cape Point in the south and Constantiaberg to the west.
We set off from East Fort and took the trail towards the old manganese mines, peeling off right along the way onto Alfies Track. After traversing the slopes below Constantiaberg we eventually joined up with the Blackburn Ravine path. A relatively steep ascent brought us to the top of Blackburn Ravine and into the valley leading to Silvermine. We then stopped for tea and enjoyed the views from an elevated nearby ridge.
The start to the Panorama Route was close by and took us to the top of the buttresses overlooking Hout Bay, which we followed all the way to Noordhoek Peak. By now the wind had picked up and we had to drop down amongst some rocks in order to find a sheltered position where we could have an early lunch.
There was much chatter amongst fellow members before it was time to head down the side of Noordhoek Peak. Fighting the strong wind, the 21 of us eventually reached the cars which had been positioned below at about 2pm.
