Argus Cycle Tour –Road Closures on the Cape Point Route

CYCLE TOUR PICTURES COURTESY OF JACQUES MARAIS

It’s COUNTDOWN to the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour Race Day on Sunday 14 March 2010!
Cape Point Route wishes all the cyclists a safe ride. We hope it’s not too hot or too windy and wish for perfect conditions on Race Day! Cape Point Route encourages the citizens of Cape Town to get out on the road to cheer and support all 30 000 cyclists. Not only will your support help the cyclists but it creates the warm welcome that Cape Town is becoming known for sharing. Supporting the cyclists is a fun day out and there will be some celebrity spotting this year as well. Lance Armstrong, Gabriella Sabatini (Previously 3rd ranked women’s tennis player); Hugo Porta (Argentian Rugby Player) and our own local celebs – Bob Skinstad, Francois Pienaar, Makhaya Ntini amongst others will be participating in the race so keep your eyes peeled for the stars!

The Cycle Tour is about so much more than just riding on race day. Cape Town welcomes all visitors and encourages them to get out and enjoy the offerings, activities and attractions that Cape Town has to offer. The Cape Point Route runs from Muizenberg on the False Bay Coastline, down to Cape Point and up the Atlantic coastline to Hout Bay – thus forming a major portion of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour route. We encourage cyclists and supporters to explore the area before or after the race and take advantage of the coastal towns Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek, Simon’s Town, Scarborough, Kommetjie, Noordhoek and Hout Bay and all the activities on offer, in addition to the sightseeing!

As with any major event there will be some interruptions to normal traffic conditions and we provide you with a list of the road closures on the Cape Point Route so you can plan ahead. The Cape Point Route is almost entirely closed to vehicular traffic on Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour Race Day, however there are some alternative routes and methods of transport.

Try the scenic train journey along the False Bay Coastline. One of the most beautiful train journeys will also get you to the towns of Muizenberg, St James, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek, Glencairn and Simon’s Town. For a different experience you could catch the train to Kalk Bay, then get the water taxi to Simon’s Town (which leaves every half past the hour from Kalk Bay and costs R100 for a single one way or R150 for a single return trip – return trips every hour on the hour from Simon’s Town) and you could get the train to head north when the day is over.

Please be aware that there are road works on the Main Rd (M4) between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay hence the Cycle Tour route will be travelling over Boyes Drive.

On the other coastline, access to Noordhoek at Noordhoek Farm Village is possible if one travels along the M42 from Constantia, past Tokai forest. Turn right onto Ou Kaapse Weg (M64) and first right onto Silvermine Road once you are “over the mountain”. Turn right into Village lane and wind your way down the leafy lane to the entrance gates for Noordhoek Farm Village on your left hand side for one of the best viewing spots on the route.

ROAD CLOSURES:

Tokai, Lakeside, Muizenberg, False Bay Coast to Cape Point, Scarborough

• 06h15 – 12h15 Main Road (M4) NB: Northbound & Southbound
• 06h15 – 12h30 Steenberg Road to Boyes Drive, Boyes Drive to Clairvaux Road
• 06h15 – 12h50 Clairvaux Road to Fish Hoek Traffic Circle
• 06h30 – 13h00 Fish Hoek Traffic Circle to Glen Road, Glencairn
• 06h30 – 13h15 Glen Road to Simon’s Town
• 06h45 – 14h30 Simon’s Town to entrance of Cape Point Nature Reserve
• 07h00 – 14h30 Entrance of Cape Point Nature Reserve (M4) to Perdekloof (M65)
• 07h00 – 15h00 Perdekloof to Soetwater (Sweet Water)

Cape Point, Scarborough, Kommetjie, Ocean View

• 06h45 – 15h00 Slangkop Road (M82), Soetwater to Kommetjie Road (M65)

Kommetjie, Ocean View, Masiphumelele

• 06h45 – 15h30 Kommetjie Road (M65), Slangkop Road to Glencairn Expressway (M6)

Noordhoek, Sun Valley

• 06h45 – 15h30 Ou Kaapse Weg Ext. (M64), Kommetjie Road (M65) to Noordhoek Road (M6)

Noordhoek, Sun Valley

• 06h45 – 16h00 Noordhoek Road (M6), Ou Kaapse Weg Ext. (M64) to base of Chapman’s Peak Drive

Noordhoek, Hout Bay

• 06h45 – 16h30 Chapman’s Peak Drive (M6), Noordhoek Road (M6) to Princess Road

Hout Bay, Llandudno

• 07h00 – 17h00 Princess Street (M90), Chapman’s Peak Drive to Victoria Avenue (M6) Hout Bay

Hout Bay, Llandudno, Camps Bay, Bakoven

• 07h00 – 17h15 Victoria Road (M6) Northbound and Southbound, Princess Road (M90) Hout Bay to Camps Bay

We will be supplying a list of the best viewing spots on the Cape Point Route but if there are any questions or you need advice on what to do and where to go on the Cape Peninsula, please visit www.capepointroute.co.za or call 021 782 9356

Beach Huts for Hire

Muizenberg beach is confidently characterised for it’s long stretch of white sand, with 2 rows of colourful beach huts, which were traditionally used as bathing boxes in Muizenberg’s heyday at the beginning of last century.
Today Muizenberg is regaining it’s fame as a hot spot of surf culture and the seafront and beach is crowded with surfers with flowing sun kissed locks, carrying various length boards and battling to stand in the gentle waves. Others are mere observers, sitting at the restaurants and cafes calming sipping on steaming capuccino’s and pretending to read the morning paper.

Further round the corner, kitesurfers try their luck at that combination sport of surfing and flying a kite – the latest in balance skills. Younger children shriek as the fly down the giant waterslide at the supertube, and others still put their best foot forward as they attempt the championship trophy of their own tournament at the mini –golf putt-putt.

Yes Muizenberg is buzzing and the bathing huts have prime viewing of all the action and activity that happens on Muizenberg beach. But here is the Cape Point Route HOT TIP of the day – I bet you didn’t know you could hire one to use yourself? Daily, monthly and annual rentals are possible – and for a bargain at today’s places. A day rental is R43.10 and a monthly rental is R299.20. Contact Edwin Genade at the City of Cape Town : edwingenade@capetown.gov.za if you would like to apply for a bathing box of your own.

I’d like to quote an excerpt written by Despine King/Burton in the book “Muizenberg Remembered” by Barbara Titley (2008) about her time as a child on Muizenberg beach around 1915. “In those days the beach was a very splendid one, dazzling white and stretching for countless miles, and a gently sloping floor. At low tide one walked a considerable distance to meet the first small waves. Very small children were allowed to swim unchaperoned as it is absolutely safe. High tide provided more problems as the waves broke high up the beach at the foot of the bathing boxes. No beach that I have seen in Europe, in North or South America, was as beautiful and safe as Muizenberg was in those early days. There were two rows of bathing boxes well to the left of the pavilion. Ours was number 18, a double box in the front row. I think that we had it for the best part of twenty years. The pavilion was in constant use by all the people who did not hire bathing boxes. Beyond the pavilion, close to the rocks below the railway line, was an area reserved for the young bucks of the day and their current girlfriends. We used to stand in great awe of them as we watched them on what were then called Hawaiian surfboards. The young men were extremely adept on these. Behind the bathing boxes was a long white stretch of hot sand where we warmed up after swimming.”

For additional information on what to see and do in Muizenberg or on the Cape Point Route please call +27 21 7829356.

Thanks to Peter Haarhof from Cape Photogaphic Company for some of these Muizenberg pictures!

Cape Point Vineyards opens a tasting venue

Cape Point Route is very excited to announce some hot off the press news from our favourite Cape Point Route wine estate - you guessed it Cape Point Vineyards! A new tasting facility has opened to the public offering a first hand opportunity to see what Cape Point Vineyards is all about. The tasting room has been a long awaited and much anticipated event for us local fans and we have no doubt that our visitors will be just as thrilled.

As their ninth year in production comes to an end, Cape Point Vineyards are finally in a position to welcome you to their new home!Having attended a special tasting and viewing I can highly recommend making a detour if you are planning on traversing Chapman's Peak Drive or visiting the Noordhoek Valley!

Cape Point Vineyards opened the doors to their new tasting room at our Chapmans Peak Estate on the 1st of November 2009. According to Duncan the tasting venue provides tourists and local wine-lovers with the opportunity to taste Cape Point's wines in their unique surroundings.

"People want to see where the wine is made and where the grapes grow. Offering wine-tastings and opportunities to purchase wines a stone's throw from the vineyards themselves enables us for the first time to bring our customers into this special environment that is the very essence of what Cape Point Vineyards is about."

Cape Point vineyards is proud to add a wine-tasting venue to the array of attractions visitors can enjoy in this special part of the world, so the next time that you travel through the beautiful Cape Point Route do stop and visit them at the new tasting room whether it be for a taste of our award winning wines, a cheese platter or to purchase a picnic basket to enjoy in any one of the areas magnificent sundowner spots.

Opening times:

Mon to Fri: 09:00 - 17:00; Sat: 10:00 - 17:00; Sun: 10:00 - 16:00

The Cape Point Vineyards Tasting Venue is on Chapmans Peak Estate, Chapmans Peak Drive, Noordhoek - literally just before the booms to Chappies.

GPS: 34° 5.697'S, 18° 22.288'E.

In other exciting news - Cape Point Vineyards reaped more awards in 2009.
Platter's once again awarded 3 of their wines with five stars!
2009 Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh (for the 4th consecutive year!)
Woolworths Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc
Cape Point Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2008 Cape Point vineyards Sauvignon Blanc adn the 2007 Cape Point Vineyards Semillon were awarded DOUBLE GOLD at the Veritas Awards!

And finally more good news. Cape Point Vineyards has launched a new wine: a fantastic and unashamedly cloaked, vibrant and fruit forward Splattered Toad Sauvignon Blanc 2009.
The Splattered Toad is dedicated to their loveable neighbour, the Western Leopard Toad. Ever dodging traffic in nightly pursuit of refreshment, this rather large (up to 140mm) and beautiful amphibian remains endangered. To help protect it Cape Point Vineyards is donating R1 for every bottle sold to the CPV Sustainability Fund.

Retailing at approximately R38 per bottle, the Splattered Toad Sauvignon Blanc is available from their tasting room and from selected Cape Town retailers and restaurants. For more information please visit www.splatteredtoad.com

Get Hooked... on the Cape Point Route!

A day on the water and you’ll fall for fishing in the Cape – hook, line and sinker...

Fishing isn’t everyone’s forte. There are always tall stories of the one that got away, tales of warriors battling giant fish, and size scandals. But fishing is one of the most popular activities on the Cape Point Route, and with good reason.

The scenic stretch of the Peninsula from Hout Bay to Cape Point and up the False Bay coastline to Muizenberg has several good fishing spots. Kalk Bay is a fishing village with a quaint but contemporary atmosphere and an operational harbour where you can bait up and cast out.

If you want to drop anchor a little further from the shore, Hout Bay is the place to visit. An early start in the Hout Bay mist will see you setting off to sea with Captain Sean of Hooked on Africa. The company operates fishing charters from the harbour and will take you on an unforgettable in-shore fishing experience. In-shore means that you can still see the shore and aren’t drifting far out at sea. Deep sea fishing means, well, that you’re in really deep water and can’t see the shore.

As you’ll find out on the trip, there’s a lot to learn about the science of fishing – what fish are running and where, the correct rods and lures to use and how to pick a spot in the fishing grounds, just for a start. There’s also the technique of getting a fish off the hook, which you’ll find out when you land a snoek that’s bigger than you. Good thing the locals are there to help out.

It doesn’t matter if the only experience you’ve had with fish involves your pet goldfish. The Captain will show you the ropes and you’ll drop your lines on his orders (and you’ll learn how to do that too). You’ll be taught the technique of releasing the line and reeling it back in. As you get confident you’ll begin to enjoy the calm repetitive motion … until there is a sudden violent yank on your rod and an eruption of excitement on the boat. There’s no gentle nibbling to warn you that a fish is ready for the fight – he’s on the end of your line in a flash.

Adrenaline flows, you pull, he pulls, you reel, he reels, you fight, he fights right back but gradually (with some guidance) you reel in the shiny silver beast. There is more action on board a fishing boat than in a high-speed Hollywood car chase. The Captain and his crew will help get the fish off the line, which is no mean feat as the silvery creatures are about a metre long and weigh about 8 – 9kg. Not to mention their huge jaws and ferocious teeth.

Once you’ve been out on the waters, you’ll understand why fishermen keep going back for more. The adrenaline and challenge with each catch is a conquest. Soon you’ll be tempted to head out into deeper waters to bag that 70kg yellowtail.

As you cook your snoek over the braai with a smug sense of satisfaction, you’ll be the one talking about the size of the fish that was stolen from your line by a Cape Fur Seal and telling the tales about the dolphins and the view of the mountains from the sea.

For more information on fishing charters, places to eat or stay on the Cape Point Route please visit: www.capepointroute.co.za.
Tel: 021 782 9346

TOP AQUA ACTIVITIES ON THE CAPE POINT ROUTE:
Fishing Charters: Hooked on Africa Fishing Charters, Hout Bay
Big Blue Fishing Charters, Simon's Town
Seal Island Cruises: Drumbeat Charters, Hout Bay
High speed boat trips: Simon’s Town Boat Company
Shark Eco-tours: Apex Shark Expeditions