Hiking Beyond Cape Town by Nina du Plessis and Willie Olivier

I will start by saying that I pretty much grew up in and around Cape Town's mountain hiking trails. My parents were both avid hikers, and from a young age I was dragged up all manner of places – some of them rather daunting, like the infamous hike around the Hout Bay Sentinel (not for the faint of heart). So as someone who still enjoys the occasional excursion, a book like Hiking Beyond Cape Town by Nina du Plessis and Willie Olivier is pretty much a keeper.

This slim volume offers a range of options that will broaden horizons, and is both informative, with beautiful photos, plus also an overview of what to expect in terms of fauna and flora of the Cape region (so I'm guessing this will also make a nifty gift to enthusiastic out-of-town friends who'd like several reasons for return visits).

The book is divided by region, with popular hikes in the Northern Suburbs, the Helderberg, Overberg, the Winelands, and also further afield to locations such as Waenhuiskrans, Cogmanskloof Trail, and others. The authors give practical advice on what to pack and how to plan for your excursions, which is useful to those who're not au fait with hiking in the Cape mountains.

Each hike is accompanied by an informative information panel for location, parking availability, highlights, elevation, grade, distance/duration, the best times for a visit, important information, and availability of maps, permits, and entry times, as well as facilities/amenities, and any other activities that are on offer. The authors then give their own experiences in getting there and what they know of the area, so that by the time you're on the hike, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect, with a little background information to boot. What I especially like is that they give information for which trails are dog-friendly. Of course etiquette dictates that you keep Fido on a lead whenever you are in a wild area, as you don't want to have him bounding off chasing any wildlife.

For me this is a particularly valuable book because of late, I've felt that my old haunts are now so overcrowded with trail runners and cyclists, that it's nigh on impossible to enjoy the mountains like I used to when I was a wee sprite. And while this book is not exhaustive, it's a good starting point for those who perhaps are not an experienced hiker, while also giving insights to other areas that are off the beaten track for those of us who're accustomed to the familiar. 

This book may be small, but it's also chock full of wonderful photos to whet the appetite, and is a gateway to encouraging folks to get out and appreciate all the wonder and beauty of the Cape Floral Kingdom.

Maliventures to Elsie's Peak

To my utter shame, while I've done a pile of hikes in and around the Cape Peninsula ever since I could walk, the Elsie's Peak trail between Fish Hoek and Glencairn is one that I've not done before. It's not a long hike, and what makes it convenient is that it's on our doorstep – so it's possible to do in an hour if you have moderate fitness. 

The whole point of us getting more active at present is that we've got our "Maligator" Maia, a Belgian Malinois, who is very active – which is good for us as it gets us out of the house regularly. Elsie's Peak is, additionally, also dog-friendly. We do follow the standard etiquette of keeping our pooch on lead in the veld and brought poop bags along. 

We parked on the Glencairn Heights side of the mountain, right up at the top of Golconda Road – since it was closer to home and according to the map would get us on the mountain a lot sooner. Standard protocols apply – don't go do this hike on your lonesome, wear a hat, put on sunblock, and make sure that you've got sturdy shoes. 

The paths are well marked but there are plenty little branches that segue off, so it helped that I've downloaded the very useful All Trails app, that I'll be using henceforth. Kudos to SANParks for maintaining this piece of land so well. I did not see a single invasive alien the entire walk. (Our area really has an infestation of Acacia saligna, hakea, and Australian myrtle that compete with the indigenous fynbos.)

I had a few great sights of local plants in spectacular bloom, especially the delicious sour fig (Carpobrotus deliciosus) and tree pincushion (Leucospermum conocarpodendron). Of course the highlight of this hike is the elevation – you get an astonishing view of False Bay and surrounds, and although the last bit of uphill coming around the peak had me huffing and puffing a little (I'm not quite fit as I should be) this was well worth the effort. Just be aware that if the southeaster is pumping, that you hold onto your hat. The wind was something else in places once we had reached the top. 

What I particularly love about the mountains is that it often feels like you arrive in a whole self-contained world once you hit the summit, surrounded by craggy grey sandstone tors and rippling expanses of conebushes, proteas, and pincushions. And when you spend time looking between, there are so many dazzling smaller flowers with brightly coloured faces.

If you're new to hiking or have small children, this is, I reckon, a suitable introductory walk. There is a bit of climbing and descending, so obviously take care of your knees and ankles, but for a morning or late afternoon excursion that's not going to eat up a pile of time, this is a good one. We're definitely going to add this to our list of regular hikes.