Hiking adventure on Lion's Head

A good map of Lion's Head & Signal Hill would be useful
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Caturra Restaurant, Regent Road, Sea Point and an interview for a Father’s Day feature in Top of The Times. To-die-for chocolate cake, real coffee made from freshly ground coffee beans and with crema. Owner Jerome was promoting their gourmet breakfast and my mouth watered as he described this meal-for-a-day. What to do? Half the day has gone by the time my friend’s surface. Ah! A hike. Not the kind of thing I usually lead but an adventure in its own way because I hadn’t walked on the paths around Lion’s Head for many years and couldn’t find a good enough map. Also, I enjoy leading hikes that suit everyone, because then I get to meet new people and hikers of different fitness levels.

Camp's Bay slowly awakening
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Lots of emails and sms’s: Jan, Margaret B, Maré, Paula, June, Frank, Sam, Suna and her son Bernhardt. Visitors: Anita, Christel, Rainer, Denise and Karen.

Food is always a good excuse for hiking

A glorious winter day, predicted temp of 21 deg but it certainly felt much warmer.

After telling the group about the gold rush on Lion’s Head and with some dreading the climb up the dirt road, we didn’t go that way but followed the path back to Kloof Nek. Crossing the road, we walked through the Glen watching Camp’s Bay and the Twelve Apostles lazily awaken and become washed in sunlight.

The coffee was calling so a direct line was taken
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A brief stop to hear about the geology of the 30-km Peninsula mountain chain and the way that different plants grow on different soils, we negotiated a fork in the path. Walking parallel to Fresnaye and Sea Point we appeared to be going too far and the coffee was calling. It was Sam who led the way on a vague path down to gum trees and houses, bringing us closer to food.

Jerome had laid a long table for us in the courtyard at the back of the restaurant, warmed by tall heaters. Satiated with coffee, we eagerly awaited our breakfast, some longer than others but in true Meridian style, with little complaining.

With full tummy's we climbed
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Back on the road again towards the beachfront, the sparkling ocean under a brown haze, before turning inland and climbing towards Signal Hill. The slopes were covered with multi-coloured, various species of Oxalis (daisies), as well as the unusual Euphorbia caput-medusae. Passing the place where we scrambled down to the houses, we followed the higher path and soon came to the road and kramat.

(Sheikh Mohammed Hassen Ghaibie Shah is buried in the grave inside the newly erected tomb. Sheikh Mohammed Hassen Ghaibie Shah, is one of the two better known Auliyah who lies buried on the Signal Hill Ridge, the other one is Kaape-ti-low. Both of them, according to oral tradition, were followers of Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar and both men were learned teachers of Islam. There are other graves as well: Tuan Nur Ghiri Bawa also known as Tuan Galieb, Tuan Sayed Sulaiman and Tuan Sayed Osman. - courtesy the website and Mare Ascott)

Euphorbia caput-medusae - probably named for the snake-like head of the flowers
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Some went off to Kloof Street for a drink but I went home to nurse my back.