BEACH BUMS
Where do locals find a quieter patch of sand and sea in high season?
It’s quite a footslog
… and lies at the bottom of a cliff below the road, but the steep, 20-minute walk down to Smitswinkel Beach, past Simon’s Town, isn’t undertaken by many, and therein lies your reward. It’s also good for snorkelling.
get In your car and drive…
… to Scarborough’s usually empty (and dog-friendly) sands, or on to Cape Point’s beaches, where you won’t find lifeguards, beach chairs for hire, ice-cream vendors or, very possibly, another person. Nearest the entrance gate is
Olifantsbos, tucked behind a rocky point and popular with deep-south surfers. Wildest and most unspoilt of all, and bordered by dunes, Platboom is for exploring and walking in the company of terns, gulls, sandpipers and the occasional ostrich or baboon. It’s also favoured by kite- and windsurfers.
Diaz Beach near the tip of the peninsula is scenically splendid, at the base of 200-metre cliffs. It’s quite a walk down, and worse back up, via the boardwalk. A stroll through the fynbos gets you to Maclear’s sandy strip, near the Cape Point sign marking the southwesternmost tip of Africa.
Best Beaches for...
A seaside braai Buffels Beach near Cape Point, or
Oudekraal, hidden by huge boulders below Victoria Road south of Camps Bay.
An engagement shoot Between the boulders at
Beta Beach, Bakoven. This little gem (it disappears at spring tide) is also good for escaping the Southeaster, secluded sunbathing, calm kayaking and sundowners. Dog-walking Glencairn, Noordhoek and Lagoon Beach in Milnerton.
Getting barrelled (on a surfboard) Can’t beat The Hoek at Noordhoek corner if you’re brave, or Sandy Bay if you’re less so. Often overshadowed by its nudebeach status, Sandies is nevertheless one of the most scenic sands around the city, with a lovely dog walk to get there. Outside of high season, it’s often deserted.
Snorkelling The kelp beds around Windmill Beach in Simon’s Town – and read Sea Change, a remarkable tome on False Bay’s underwater life. seachangeproject.com
Kite- and windsurfing Sunset Beach, Kite Beach in Table View and Big Bay are famous, but if you want to be counted among the hardcore, then Haakgat (opposite Atlantic Beach Golf Club in Melkbos) is the place. It’s fickle but fires on a strong Southeaster and big swell for some of the best waveriding and jumping around.