Guy believes the only car that can make it is a Land Rover.

One of the joys of living in Cape Town is the convenience and proximity of so many different activities. The fly fishing rivers are an hours drive from the city situated in the mountains above the Winelands. Although the wind was blowing as it often does in Cape Town to get to the rivers one has to get to the other side of the Hottentotholland Mountains where the conditions are very different. To do so there is a 5 km tunnel which we are very proud of. I know by European standards that is nothing special but it’s the longest we’ve got.
As we came into the sunlight on the other side of the tunnel we held our breathe hoping the wind would be less strong and luckily it was. Things were looking good.

The area in which we were going to fish is close to a small town called Rawsonville. There is no real reason to visit this town but it is situated in a beautiful setting and like so many of the other small towns in this area it is heavily involved in growing grapes for wine production.

The Hottentotsholland Mountains form the other side of the tunnel.

The mountains in the background behind Rawsonville where the river on which we planned to fish is situated.

The farm road leading up the valley.

“Land Rover country” according to Guy.

Guy was very pleased to get some use out of his Land Rover. The valley extends all the way up to a dam which feeds the river. The road gets quite narrow in some places but Guy was adamant his vehicle was “made for conditions like these”. Eventually we arrived at our beat.

Guy rigging up.

Now catching trout is not as easy as it sounds. There are lots of variable to be taken into account. Water temperature, barometric pressure, wind direction, fly choice to name but a few. Being a purist (meaning I am not very good at any other form) I enjoy dry-fly fishing the most. When using dry flies one is simulating a hatch where mayflies land on the top of the water and the trout come up and eat them. What I enjoy is that one gets to see the action on the surface as opposed to below the water where you see nothing of the take.

Now usually one can see what is known as a “rise” which is where one sees the trout feeding on the surface and then the chances of catching on a dry fly is good.

As we got down to the water we studied it before starting. No rises. Not good. Maybe we could induce the fish to rise if we chose the right fly.

Now the problem with a fly is that it has a hook. You need that to catch the trout. Only problem is that when you cast it tends to get caught on either a tree behind you or if you are particularly unlucky one of your appendages such as your ear.

Guy was lucky and on his first cast managed to catch the tree behind him. A few expletives later he was ready to try again.

As you can see or rather not see by the size of Guy’s rod you know we are talking small fish.

Being a gentleman but mainly because I wanted to study the conditions better I gave the first pool to Guy. No luck. As it makes sense to use different flies until one knows what is working I was interested to see if I could do better than Guy with my choice.

I, as carefully as I could, presented my fly to where I anticipated a fish would be lying. As the fly gently bobbed on the surface and in the current I watched with satisfaction as a fish came up and gently sipped in my fly. I raised my rod and was in. Now I would be lying if I said it was an epic battle or even a short fight. But at least I knew we could catch.

Tip-when taking a picture always get someone else to take it and hold the fish as far away from you as possible. It makes the fish look much bigger. I had to take my own picture. Size doesn’t matter……….until you catch a fish. A small rainbow trout!

Guy started catching too and for a few short hours nothing in the world mattered. We forgot about everything and all that was important was to fool a fish. I managed a 13 to 14 inch fish which is fairly good in our rivers. Both Guy and missed fish and we commented how out of practice we both were and how we could rectify the problem by doing more fishing. If only………

http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Transport/Pages/MyCiTibusservice.aspx

http://www.gautrain.co.za/

CityView

After our late return on Friday my wife Bettina, and I took our dog for a walk on Signal Hill which is the land separating the city from the Atlantic seaboard. From the road that runs along the top of the hill you can look down on the west side over the Atlantic ocean and on the East side into the city. This time I had my cellphone so I could take some pictures of the flowers I spoke about last week. I don’t know all the flowers but if you have some time and are interested here is a place to read about it.

www.calflora.net/southafrica/capeflora.html

MountainFlowers

I spent the rest of Saturday working but this morning it was time for the 1^st of the month swim. This is a 1 mile open water swim that happens at Clifton beach on the first Sunday of every month. You need a bit of open water swimming experience before you do this but if you like swimming it is great fun. The water temperature for the past few swims has been about 12 degrees C – and that is cold. Swimmers can wear a wetsuit but you pick up a penalty compared to those who swim channel rules.  In November the swim will be on Sunday the 6^th just before the meeting starts. I will probably be on the beach at 8:15 in the morning for registration – the race starts at 9:15. Slower swimmers start first and a faster group 5 minutes later. The course is a loop, parallel to the beach behind the breaking waves. Anyone can join in so take a look at the website if you are interested.

http://1soms.co.za/

LionsHead

As a visitor to Cape Town you have to make time to get to the top and look down over the city, onto the Atlantic beaches and across Table Bay to Robben Island. There are two ways to get to the top – walking or in the cable car.

Hiking trail going up Table Mountain

I have just come back from a run along table mountain road, which is the road along the base of the mountain going past the lower cable way station. With spring just around the corner and the sun shining there were a lot of tourists lining up to go up. In November plan to get to the cable station early if you don’t want to wait in the line. Once at the top there are plenty of paved paths to walk on and places to stop and enjoy the view. Take up a packed lunch or eat at Table Mountain café.

Table Mountain Cape Town

Walking up will leave you with a great sense of achievement. The top has an elevation of just over 1000m and it will take between 1 and 3 hours to walk up depending on your fitness level. There are many routes that can be used but if this will be your first time then Platteklip Gorge is the best option. It gets hot during the day so it is best to start the climb as early as possible. You will need a small backpack with a liter of water, a snack and wind proof jacket. Put suncream on before you leave and take enough money to catch the cableway down if the walk up has left you tired. You do not need any climbing experience to do this walk but you do need to be prepared and that includes checking the weather forecast. If a strong southeaster wind will be blowing then choose another day. The southeaster blows over the top of the mountain and can quickly cover the table with a cloth of cloud that reduces visibility and will make you wet. If you feel a bit uncertain about climbing the mountain but you really want to do it than go with a guide.

• www.tablemountainwalks.co.za
• www.abseilafrica.co.za
• www.ventureforth.co.za

You don’t have to make a special trip to enjoy the mountain either. You can go for a walk or run at the base of the mountain and be there in minutes from any Hotel in the city. At any time of the year the flora is worth viewing. There are over 2200 species of plants on the mountain and some are always flowering. Today there were purple and yellow daisy’s along the sides of the path I ran along.

Cape Town Panorama

Also a reminder to book flights if you are coming – November is a popular time to be in Cape Town.

Cape Point with the ridge of mountains that extend all the way to Table Mountain.

Being the middle of winter we were a little concerned about the weather and for Cape Town it was fairly cool at 18°C. Cape Town has a typical Mediterranean-type climate with hot dry summers (25-30°C) and cold wet winters. We set off from the car park past the reservoir where in summer one can bar-b-que around the edge and swim in the cool waters. However neither of these was a consideration on this day.

The gang

The first interesting thing we passed was the tented camp where it is possible to stay overnight and experience a night on the mountain.

The reservoir at Silvermine car park.

The track is easy to follow and there were people out walking, mountain biking and generally enjoying the getting out. From where we walked if one looked to the left one would see the Indian Ocean.

False Bay/ the Indian Ocean.

However if one looked to the right one would look on to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean.

And if one looked behind you one would see the back of Table Mountain.

The back of Table Mountain.

Half way we found a place to stop and enjoyed some dried fruit and biltong. Biltong is air-dried meat unique to South Africa but I suppose a little like beef jerky-only better.
Both Ben and I thought that we should limit the walk to an hour or two for the boy’s sake agreeing it had nothing to do with the wine we had drunk the previous night which actually had come from on of the Estates at the foot of the mountain we climbing. By the way Buitenverwagting’s Christine is excellent. This only one of the wine estate which forms part of what is known as the Constantia wine route and has amongst others Klein Constantia who produce Vin de Constance which Napoleon took a shining to while exiled on St Helena Island.
On the way down we admired some of the proteas which were still in bloom. They are part of the Fynbos which is the name given to the indigenous flora.

The protea

Feeling both tired but invigorated and rejuvenated we left the car park and it was still only 11.30 am. I still marvel at how fortunate I am to live in a place like Cape Town where one can climb mountains, visit a wine estate and buy a fresh fish from the local harbour all in a day and driving less than 20 km!

I’ll start with a visit to the Cape Winelands which is not only for those who like to drink wine. A trip to some of the many estates around Cape Town is an opportunity to experience beautiful scenery, relax under oak trees, have a picnic or gourmet meal. The image associated with most estates is the typical Cape Dutch homestead like this one at Zevenwacht which is worth a visit but I thought I would rather tell you about of the estates with a more contemporary approach.

A few weeks ago on a Saturday morning I headed out to Stellenbosch a small town about 30 minutes drive from the city. Just outside Stellenbosch is a mountain pass called Helshoogte which is a great drive ( so hire a car for a day) and at the top of the mountain are some good places to visit. My reason for going on that particular day was to pick up a few wines to try out for the meeting events. Make sure you are at the welcome cocktail or Gala dinner – that way you can check out our choices.

My fist stop was Delaire Graff estate – not for wine but just because the setting is so amazing. The gardens are filled with sculptures from local artists and there are other artworks in the building. The owner was hosting a function at the time I went but I did walk through the restaurant which looks out over the valley – looks like a good place to go for a lunch.

Just over the road is a vineyard called Thelema and that was my next stop – this time to buy wine. I have always liked the Thelema wines particularly the Savignon Blanc but had heard that their 2007 Shiraz was exceptional. The vines were only planted in 1983 when Gyles and Barbara Webb bought the farm and converted the orchards to vineyards. The vineyards are the highest and coolest on the Simonsberg mountain making for a unique terroir. It is a friendly place to visit with tastings taking place in the cellar.

I bought some Savignon Blanc and the Shiraz both of which are great. My final stop was at Tokara only a few hundred meters away, a winery and restaurant remarkable for it’s architecture. Built in the vineyards out of natural materials and once again offering fantastic views.
The Tokara Savignon Blanc wines (they have a few all representing a unique terroir) are all worth a try.

I bought a few bottles and then headed back to Cape Town before lunchtime. That is part of the attraction of Cape Town – the ability to get out to amazing places within such a short time. Make sure you head out of the city for at least an afternoon.

Allan