We've only got a couple of days left of our holiday so we're up again this morning to head up to the top of Table Mountain. It's a short drive along the many mountain roads that link up the various areas of Cape Town, and we park up and join the back of the queue for tickets to the cable car.
Erica and Steve set off a bit earlier than us and are enjoying a coffee at the top, as it was still in the clouds when they arrived, which is always a risk for anywhere up high with a view. The queue moves quite quickly though, and we're soon bundling into the large cable car to take us to the top. Once we're on the move, we discover the car itself rotates so that everyone on board gets a 360 view of the ascent.
We get to the station at the top and go to find the others, grabbing a quick coffee ourselves on the way. It's quite windy but the clouds are clearing and the sun is bright in the sky. We set off around a short trail route which circles the area of the mountain top around the cable car station. On the way around, there is an assortment of large boulders which are perfect vantage points for taking pictures of the stunning view, and also posing in front of the impressive landscape of the horizon and the city below. There's wildlife up here too, with dassies darting in and out of the shade of the rocks and birds soaring overhead in the early afternoon sunshine.
Further around the trail, there's an echoing canyon which is the source of much amusement for 5a few minutes. We continue along the pathway and arrive at a junction of sorts, where we can either head back to the station or explore a further part of the mountain. It's much more off the beaten track here, and there's a part of the route where we need to climb down a steep section with the help of a rope and iron fixings in the rock. It's also much quieter here, and it's great to be able to explore in a more peaceful environment. The sky has cleared now to a beautiful blue, and we traverse the uneven paths in the afternoon sun, marvelling at the fascinating rock structures and breathtaking scenery. We realise we're heading further into unknown territory and decide to trace our route back to the main path before it gets too late.
We head back to the cable car and make the journey back down to the base, where we pick up our cars and hear to a nearby branch of Cape Town fish market for dinner. We start with a seafood plank, then I continue the seafood theme with more calamari for my main. It's unfortunately not quite as fresh as our lunch yesterday, but refuel us nonetheless, and we enjoy yet another beautiful sunset behind the mountains and over the bay.
Craig and I are off to train with Cape Town Roller Derby tonight, so we say our goodbyes to Erica and Steve and head on our way to their venue. A couple of confused frowns at the satnav later, and we've found the sports hall and the familiar sight of colourful leggings and roller skates. It's a refereeing focused session, so after some quick pointers on technique for minimum skills with the whole league, we settle down to listen to Craig's wisdom and guidance on good reffing practice and relevant training. It's great to meet some of the skaters afterwards, and see how the sport has taken off worldwide. We have a quick beer and head back over the mountain range once again to our cosy Noordhoek cottage. It's gone midnight by the time we get home, and tomorrow is our last day before we return to the UK, so we head to bed for another peaceful night's sleep under South African sky.
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