On my doorstep

With work pressures currently keeping me at home rather than jaunting in the mountains of the Cape Peninsula, I took advantage of this morning’s pleasant temperature to take a quick walk around the village where I live. This is no ordinary village, sitting as it does at the foot of Slangkop in a narrow strip of land that forms the most southwesterly coastline of South Africa, the icy Atlantic Ocean lapping at its shoreline and far, far from the madding crowd. There are holiday homes here belonging to people who live only 40 minutes drive away in the suburbs. Living here is truly like being on a holiday, which makes self-employment and working from home more challenging!

With no traffic and the only other pedestrians being joggers, dog walkers and locals enjoying a stroll, the route can be adjusted according to your fancy, taking a side road here or a short cut there, or even trudging through the soft sand around the point. Having trudged enough on the Kakapo trek last week, I chose the perimeter route from home, along the Kom to Long Beach then up towards the mountain (for a little uphill) and over the hill to the Kom again. The fresh southeasterly wind kept me cool, blowing away current cares and making for ideal walking conditions. (In a northwester, I would reverse the route.) At every turn there was a scenic photo opportunity, allowing me to catch my breath. After all, I was walking far more briskly than usual, and covered the distance of 3.1km in 41 minutes. No mean feat for me!

I thought you might like to join me, and here are my photos for your vicarious journey!