False Bay coastal stroll

I was regrettably unable to take part in yesterday’s strenuous uphill hike and instead took the easy option of walking from Fish Hoek beach to Glencairn and back. The catch was I would be walking with my sister whose pace is twice mine, but at least it would be on the level. The intention was to walk to Kalk Bay, pop in for coffee at any one of the enticing restaurants on offer, and returning via the beach with possibly a swim (sister). Having not been in the water (just once) since Jaws, swimming did not enter my head, but my sister swims most mornings with a bunch of regulars called the B team (don’t swim in winter). The weather was perfect, with a slight coolness in the air, bright sunshine and crystal waters to entice, but walking was the plan and we would stick to it.

Memories of days gone by accompanied us as we proceeded along Jager Walk (fondly referred to as the catwalk, no doubt because of the bikini-clad beauties of those days) where everyone met up for a day on the beach, tanning on the lawn between the benches lining the walkway and diving off the rocks to cool off in the clear warm waters of a summer’s day in Fish Hoek. Today the benches are brightly painted and bear the names of some of those who sat there over the decades, and even a few of the people we passed were friends from that time, now in their autumn years but still sitting on the same bench.

The shark net had been set up for the school holidays, even though there have been no sightings since the return of orcas to the bay – being the only predator of great white sharks. The water was a chilly 14 degrees as estimated by the brave, and it looked cool so the lack of a bathing costume did not weigh heavily on my mind. We passed the rock pools where shells were gathered early in the morning during school holidays in the 1960s, to be sold at the shell shop in Beach Road and the money used for an ice cream cone at the Beach Cafe. The simple pleasures.

On reaching the end of the catwalk at Sunnycove, we crossed the now defunct railway line via the bridge onto the Simon’s Town Road to continue our walk along the pavement. With the line from Fish Hoek to Simon’s Town no longer serviceable due to disinterest in maintenance by the authorities, it would be marvellous to turn it into a proper route for exercise as this is a most beautiful coastline and could become an essential attraction for locals and tourists with landscaping and benches. Small boats bobbed in the bay, hoping to catch a fry for supper or maybe more, and a seal slid lazily by, but no whales were seen after a poor season. The sea was like a mirror and it would have been marvellous to do a spin around False Bay in a high speed boat, an exhilarating experience best undertaken when there are no swells.

We walked at a cracking pace and in 45 minutes had reached a welcome coffee stop in Glencairn at the little collection of delightful shops near the hotel. Excellent coffee and gluten-free biscuit (at a place whose name I didn’t record but will return to) set us up for the return trip at the same pace, and we completed almost 6km in a record time (for me) of just under 2 hours including coffee stop. A good bit of exercise on an early Spring day in one of the most beautiful places imaginable. The B team were still on the benches.