Fish Hoek is known for its white beach, warm(ish) water, sharks, and hospitality. But one of its lesser known attractions is also one of its most beautiful: Elsie’s Peak. There is a lovely walk up the mountain which is not too strenuous and which guarantees breathtaking views of False Bay.
Elsie’s Peak is the mountain that separates Fish Hoek from Glencairn and Simons Town. The spate of growth in Fish Hoek in the late 90s and early 2000s saw the construction of a number of extremely large and extremely luxurious houses on the mountain, reaching about two-thirds of the way to the top. It’s not safe to build any higher, a fact for which most of Fish Hoek’s residents are grateful as no one wanted to see the beautiful mountain despoiled by human habitation.
The walk takes between two and three hours, depending on your level of fitness and your proclivity to stop and admire the view. It starts with some stairs right at the bottom of the mountain, off a parking lot on Kommetjie Road (opposite the Outspan Pub and Regal Cycle shop). You’ll need to climb them until you get to a road, cross it and continue up more stairs until you get to a bench. You might want to stop and rest here, especially if your calves are singing.
When you’ve caught your breath you’ll take the path leading to the right and start the walk proper. From here on you’ll get to see why the walk is popular with locals as the plants flourish and little critters abound. There are stone markers all along the route so you won’t get lost, just don’t wander off the path. As you near the top you’ll reach a telecommunications building. It’s only a few more metres beyond that and you’ll find yourself at the top of the peak, where you might have to work hard not to be blown off.
Fish Hoek is notoriously windy and the top of Elsie’s peak is even more so. Clouds have also been known to descend rapidly, so take something warm, like a windbreaker, to keep away the cold and condensation.
The wind will not detract from the vista before you. If you climb in whale season (around August), you might even see some whales. In summer you might see some sharks. In terms of beaches, you’ll see Fish Hoek, Glencairn, Muizenberg and Noordhoek.
You can go back the way you came, but most people complete the Circular Route which eventually comes back to the original path where you can psyche yourself up for the stairs again.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
