Sunday, February 9, 2014

The People’s Trail


A very long time ago [October 2005, actually] Kaartman wrote up a walk for the Cape Argus; it was published under the title ‘The Trail for the People’, a sub-editor’s choice that landed me in trouble with a raving lunatic [see blog post at Kaartman if you really want the sordid details]. Mrs K and I duly republished the article in ‘Walks with a Fat Dog’ under the modest and trouble-free title, ‘Muizenberg Catwalk’. This is how the article began ...
“There is only one great walk in the whole City of Cape Town that is truly a Trail for the People – all of the people. It’s a trail of stunning beauty and variety, and you can walk it pushing a pram, with toddlers, in your wheelchair, in your jogging shoes, after lunch, barefoot, with your granny, by yourself, with your whole extended family, after your office party, before dawn ... and you don’t need to own a car or even a bicycle to get there and back again, because it’s served by buses and taxis and trains from everywhere in the City. It’s a thirty-minute stroll or a five hour hike, and when you seek refreshment it has everything from your own sandwiches to fish ’n chips to gourmet meals and the finest wines.”
Yesterday was a perfect Sunday, one of those champagne Cape summer days that was only slightly tarnished by some people called Dolphins beating some others called Cobras by two runs, but let’s leave that. Mrs K and I set off for Moozies at about 8:30 am. We parked at Checkers – Moozies beachfront has serious parking issues on great weekends. The People’s Trail lived up to its promise, a 3km stroll with a dip in the magic St James tidal pool, which I have enjoyed since the age of about three. Here are some pics; if you need a map try Cape Peninsula or Silvermine – we recommend them both, of course. ‘Walks with a Fat Dog’ is sadly out of print, but watch this space [note that I did NOT say ‘hold your breath’, hay].
Enjoy the pics!
The pillar off the point at Bailey’s Cottage is actually a sad
 memorial to a child lost off the rocks here, more than a century ago ...
Muizenberg Beach, always a weekend hive of activity
... and don’t skrik when the trains thunder by ...
Kayaking ...
... surfing ...
... hanging out ...
... HERE!!!

Kaartman, Feb 2014