Hout Bay - Chapman's Peak Drive - Noordhoek

As we continue down the coast, we approach Hout Bay (Afrikaans: Houtbaai, from Afrikaans for "Wood Bay"). This coastal suburb of Cape Town offers a mix of neighbourhoods neighborhoods from the very rich to the very poor, which lie in a valley on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula. The name "Hout Bay" can refer to the town, or the bay on which it is situated, or the whole valley.

The Sentinel, the landmark mountain at the entrance of Hout Bay

Although this majestic geographic feature is a product of the same events that formed Table Mountain and the rest of the Cape Peninsula, it is NOT a part of Table Mountain National Park. Per the linked news article,  it is privately owned and was up for sale in late 2008 for $12M Rand (approx $1.5M US). If only I knew that before the economy started to recover. Oh well, maybe the next recession.

Fred at Hout Bay

Fred & Nik at Hout Bay

The jumping photograph

Fred's super-blue Bay

Beautiful but deadly drop into Hout Bay

Cyclist on Chapman's Peak Drive

That tiny white speck is an automobile. Feel finite yet?

Tour Bus on Chapman's Peak Drive

We continued on a spectacular road, known as Chapman's Peak Drive, that hugs the near-vertical face of the mountain from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. Hacked out of the face of the mountain between 1915 and 1922, the road was at the time regarded as a major feat of engineering. Chapman's Peak Drive was closed in the 1990s, after a rockfall caused a death and a subsequent lawsuit, and subsequently reopened after being re-engineered to protect motorists from falling rocks. It was reopened in 2005 as a toll road, which of late has sparked an outcry from the public due to the cost burden to the tax payers.

Cyclist preparing for the Argus

Chapman's Peak Drive also serves as part of the route of two of South Africa's biggest mass-participation races, the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Race(aka the Argus) and the Two Oceans Marathon.
The Argus, an annual cycle race hosted in Cape Town, is usually 109 km long. If that weren't long enough, the race has on occassion been stopped due to extreme weather conditions. One occasion it was due to extreme heat of 42° Celsius ( = 108°F) and another was due to strong winds, with gusts up to 100 km/h that blew cyclists off their cycles at Chapman's Peak. The Two Oceans Marathon is actually an ultra marathon of 56km (=34.8 mi) and self-billed as "the world's most beautiful marathon".  Are you game for either? I'll happily cheer for you from the sidelines. I'll even buy you a carb loaded drink after.

Yes, those little specks are surfers!

As we rounded the cliffside curves of Chapman's Peak, we got wonderful expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean in shades of cerulean you never knew were possible. Welcome to Noordhoek, which literally means "north corner" in Dutch. A beautiful bedroom community of scattered nice houses, often with sea views and  a large horse population, as riding on the long sandy beach is a great attraction. The area is also home to many artists.

White sand beaches between Noordhoek & Kommetjie

Fred's view, "cerulean", hhmm?

It is best-known for its picturesque shoreline and its long, wide, sandy beach, which stretches south to the neighbouring village of Kommetjie.The area is a popular spot for surfing, since powerful waves from the Atlantic Ocean rise up over rocky reefs formed by hard sandstones of the Table Mountain Group.

Entertainment options in Noordhoek

Garden Sculptures for sale.

Want to see your HOA get in a tizzy? Buy a lawn elephant. They'll beg you to put the flamingos back up.

Farm raised ostrich? Tastes just as good as wild-caught ostrich!

I saw a random sign that said Cape Point Ostrich Farm, but didn't really think anything of it because all I saw were fences until the very end. Ostriches!!! Ostrich meat is one of the healthiest red meats you can eat as it has less fat than fish and nearly no cholesterol.  It tastes just like chicken beef.