Our intention had been to join a group of paddlers leaving Long Beach, Simonstown at 9.30, but when we arrived the wind was too strong, so we came up with Plan B. A walk to explore Simonstown moving in the direction of Admiral’s Waterfall. We visited the tourist information office, next to Jubilee Square, and were directed to a 15-minute scenic walk starting on the corner of the Main Road (St George’s Street) and Rectory Lane, leading up to Runciman Drive. If you head out for a walk with a positive spirit and an enquiring mind, you will find something of interest. And we did!
The start of Rectory Lane was reminiscent of the narrow pathways one finds in the coastal villages around the Mediterranean – all it needed was a pot or two of red geraniums. If you are going up, all roads lead to Runciman Drive. From there it is a short walk along Victory Way or Barnard Street to the Signal School or Klaver steps, which lead up to the grave of Just Nuisance, a war memorial and an old hospital. The Steps head up and up, and every time you think you are at the top, there is another corner and more steps, with the quaintest stone walls on either side. There must be several hundred steps!
At the top are a group of old, rather dilapidated, official buildings. There is a monument to men from the Simonstown Naval Base who died during the First World War and the grave of Just Nuisance, a Great Dane who from 1939 to 1944 served with the Royal Navy, on the base ship HMS Afrikander, and is thought to be the only dog ever to do so. Click here for more about 'Just Nuisance'.
The ‘official buildings’ used to be the Naval Sanatorium - completed in 1904, the Sanatorium was for the care of sick and injured seamen. It was once an attractive building and is needing care and restoration and would make a perfect museum/restaurant/concert venue. The metal structures leading up to the top of the mountain were once part of a cable car system linking the dockyard with the hospital. It was initially used to transport materials, equipment and labour, and then staff and patients. An efficient method of keeping convalescent patients away from the less salubrious aspects of life in Simonstown.
Klaver Steps
Our next stop was the Waterfall. If you turn left when you come back down to the bottom of Klaver Steps, follow Barnard street until you come to the gravel path which leads to the Falls – about a 15 minute walk. At the bottom of the Waterfall is a dam that served as a weir once collecting and providing a source of fresh water for Simonstown. It is not difficult to walk through the water, and clamber over a few rocks for a short walk up the kloof.
We then made our way back to St George’s Street having walked the best part of three hours.
Note the weir wall - we have not had much rain!
 |
| Looking at Simonstown from the Waterfall |
*****************
The wind was by now noticeably gentler and the sea looked calmer. It looked like a perfect winter's day for a paddle - crisp and clear with little wind. There is a launching area for kayaks at Bertha’s Landing, and good parking on either side of the beach. The water in the yacht harbour area was quite smooth but as we rounded the ‘bullnose’ we hit a bit of turbulence from the water bouncing back from the wall. The water did calm down as we paddled to Ark Rock, then turned towards Windmill Beach and back towards the harbour.
Anyone wanting to try some kayaking with a group of paddlers who launch from Simonstown - who knows you may become a regular - go to the Paddlers' website and the Cape Kayakers blog.
More about kayaking in a later post.
