The vast web of trails offers variety and will suit any type of runner. – By Piers Stephenson

Silvermine Nature Reserve, False Bay

Photographs by…
Toby Murphy

Runner, & words by…
Piers Stephenson

GPS Location
34°07’08.00”S 18°27’33.00”E

Grading
All levels.

Duration

Straight up to the top and back down again takes between 40 and 60 minutes. But as you meander from peak to peak, it’s easy to lose track of time.

Best Time To Run

During summer, catch the sun rising over False Bay. Prepare for four seasons in one day: cool air, stifling heat, howling winds and cold mist. You’ll need to carry water during summer; annoyingly, water is more abundant during winter, when it’s cooler.

Terrain

A web of trails that offer variety and suit any mood interconnects the mountains, and their namesake suburbs below. Trickle up, then scamper down steady Ou Kraal, hike Farmer Peck’s, scramble up Bailey’s rocky steps, and then trail-surf the sandy plateau loops between the peaks.

Spectacular vistas emphasise Cape Town’s unique diversity. Lichen thrives in the clean air of ancient milkwood and yellowwood tree canopies, and wooden walkways protect the Spes Bona forest. The only sounds you’ll hear are trickling water, and the occasional train wheel clacking on the tracks below. Sharks can be spotted at the world-renowned Surfer’s Corner, and Southern Right whales return to False Bay between June and November.

Post-Run Pursuits

Buy an ice-cream and walk along the catwalk from Muizenberg; swim in the St James tidal pool; grab a coffee and a savoury croissant from the ‘red door’ at the side of Olympia Cafe, in Kalk Bay (olympiacafe.co.za); enjoy brunch in a village-type atmosphere at Sostanza, in Lakeside (021 788 2415).

Getting There

Multiple entry points along Boyes Drive. A tip: catch the train, and/or just use the railway stations as indicators to the closest entry points on the road above.

Insider Tips

The chicane on Boyes Drive directly above St James station is a central start/finish point. From here, you can follow the quickest route via the ravine, or the most consistent incline via Ou Kraal.

Be extra-careful when running on the wooden walkways (e.g. Spes Bona), which can be treacherous when wet. An exposed screw could easily land you in hospital, if you happen to step on one.

Planning on watching the sunset from one of the highest peaks? Make your way back down while it’s still light: it gets dark quickly, and many of the descents are technical.

Interesting Fact

John Meyer, a speleologist who first visited Kalk Bay in 1924, and then retired to the area in 1932, named most of the caves. From 1924 until 1950, this mathematics and classics teacher explored these mountains with the other ‘moles’ of his time. The names are a reflection of his interest in classical mythology; and the years he spent exploring highlight how much there is still to discover in the mountains.

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