Camps Bay, Cape Town Day 1 and 2.

We have had the loveliest and busiest week in and around Cape Town.

After accepting advice from two of our gorgeous nieces, we had, as usual, impulse booked a little apartment right on the beach. It was very reasonably priced and although we’d been a little concerned about its position above a lively cafe/restaurant we needn’t have been. It was perfect with a view of the mountains from the back of our balconyand a glimpse of the sea, just a stones throw away from the front.It also included use of the facilities of The Place on the Bay Hotel next door. I can’t recommend the whole place highly enough, the apartment was beautifully clean and serviced daily and its location was exceptional. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Chloe’s and Alice’s advice regarding staying in Camps Bay was spot on. It was near enough to Cape Town to visit all of the main attractions (and walk the 10km home one evening in flip flops) but far enough away to get away from the big city. It was also very beautiful. I think we managed to do nearly all of the things that you’d recommended Al and more, here goes.

Friday 7th – not the best of starts but Rob did manage to get his bike and cycling gear sorted and I did appreciate the comfortable bed whilst recovering from my tummy bug.

Saturday 8th – Rob left very early, about 6.15, to meet up with the Cape Town cycling club he had been in contact with. (I’m hoping he’ll write a little about his cycling mornings but can’t guarantee it as his fragile ‘writing confidence’ has been knocked – I’ll mention no names).

I eventually left the comfort of my bed, familiarised myself with our little but lovely apartment and set out to explore Camps Bay. I had been determined to run every morning after the success of our run in Stilbaai but, in my weakened state, decided to settle for a fast walk instead.

The walk was beautiful. Camps Bay beach had been transformed into an under 18 touch rugby tournament at one end and had numerous other sporting events taking place along its length. The atmosphere was lively and energetic and injected a little spring into my weary step. I went a couple of kilometres to my left before the houses ran out and then came back the same way. I usually hate coming back on myself but there were so many beautiful beaches and views that for once I didn’t mind.

With time still to spare before Rob’s expected return I then set off the other way. After passing Glen beach, followed by the four spectacular Clifton beaches I decided to cut down on to the shore to see if I could return that way. It all was going fine, the four Clifton beaches were all linked either by a paddle through the sea or a clamber over rocks. The problem came between Clifton’s fourth beach and Glen beach. There was no obvious access so I sensibly returned up towards the road. Time was ticking on, I’d been out walking for an hour and a half by now and knew Rob would soon be back. The obvious thing to do would have been to get back on the roadside path and return the way I had come. I was pretty tired and feeling quite weak but my sense of adventure was still there so I took a different path.

An hour later, after unnecessarily risking life and limb, I finally limped back to find a slightly worried Rob waiting at the gate. He’d returned to the apartment to find all my belongings including my phone, purse etc. still there but me gone. Luckily he hadn’t been waiting long and I saved him the finer details of my return journey and vowed to stick to the path in future. My regular walking partners back home can probably imagine parts of my adventure, it did involve climbing fences, crossing water and negotiating large rocks but the short chase this time was not by cows – I’ll save further details for one of our strolls when I return. 😬😬

The weather was warm but a little overcast so we decided to have a gentle afternoon at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Plants and flowers aren’t usually my favourite thing but being set against the most amazing backdrop of table mountain definitely increased their attraction. There were several different areas of attraction including a weddingSomeone who wore their socks as high as Rob’sas well as an art exhibition, beautiful sculpturesand more Fynbos and Protea than you could ever wish for. Rob and I are now total experts!The lunch at the cafe was extremely tasty with lots of gluten free options. We had a really lovely afternoon and could have stayed much longer had we had time or energy to climb any more steep hills.

The absolute highlight of our visit came as we were wending our way reluctantly towards the exit. We had previously explored the canopy walkway, a cleverly positioned boardwalk through the tops of the trees. As we’d travelled along it we had read various information boards about the birds we could expect to see and as we are swiftly becoming twitchers as well as botanists we had spotted quite a few. Despite looking carefully and much to our disappointment, we had not spotted any of the nocturnal birds listed that could apparently be found sleeping in the lower branches. As we headed along a final pathway I pointed out a tree that seemed to be hugging another tree. Rob showed his usual amount of enthusiasm until I stepped in closer and looked up. There, sitting amongst the lower branches, was a sleepy eagle owl.We watched it for a little while as it continued to sleep, as I walked under it to try and get a better photo angle it turned and fixed me with its eagle stare seemingly disturbed by my unwelcome intrusion. It turned away at the sound of approaching children and unwilling to blow its cover we left it to return to its slumber.