A High Peak, a White Beach, Chips & Coffee

About 8 kms from us is Chapman's Peak Drive which goes from Noordhoek to Hout Bay along a winding road with a cliff on the left and overhanging rocks, and a cliff on the right which drops into the sea. Quite a scary ride and not for the vertigo sufferers and not to do on a windy day. It is a toll road and if you go right through to Hout Bay you have to pay, but if you go up to the toll and turn around and go back, then it's free. Quite a few people do that and they bring a picnic or do it just for the sheer beauty of it.

We went on a peaceful Sunday while the wind was quiet, as it had howled for two days running, and while it was sunny-skied and warm. We stopped at all the spots where you can 'park and look' and took in that marvellous scenery.  We decided that next time we would definitely bring our picnic chairs, sandwiches and coffee and just sit there and chill for a while longer.

It is so high it feels like you can see forever and quite frightening as it also feels like the sea and the height are almost luring you, gently whispering 'jump, jump'! Anyway, I didn't jump, nor did Tony as he was too busy looking through his binoculars at the little boats beyond, and I had my blog to write! Not a good day to jump.

 After that we decided to go for a walk to Noordhoek Beach which is just at the bottom of Chapman's Peak and stretches all the way from Noordhoek to Kommetjie. 

Many people come and ride their horses here as the beach is ideal to get a long gallop and to exercise the horses. We walked to the ocean which starts way down when the tide is out, leaving lots of shells and empty mussel shells lying all over the beach. That day there were many surfers in their wet suits enjoying the waves which were high after the strong winds the days before.

There are huge boulders on the beach and it is scary to think that they have probably fallen down from up high on the mountain above and when you see how small a person is compared to them, you hope that you are not at the bottom, on the beach and in the way of the next one that is about to fall. I had a bit of a sick thought wondering how many bodies were lying under that one ! ! ! Ugh, awful!  

After our walk we were a bit peckish so we went to the Coffee Bean which is a little coffee shop in Noordhoek with lovely views, and sat and had a coffee and shared a plate of crispy hot chips. Yum, lovely. On days like this I want to stay out all day and not go home, it's such fun to be outside doing different lovely things, as compared to sitting in the flat in Jo'burg being bored to death with nothing to do, or doing the same things and going to the same places over and over again. We got home later on feeling full and contented and fell asleep that night with lovely views in our thoughts.