Porcupine Ravine

One of the things that captivated me about Cape Town when I first visited 2 years ago was the spectacular topography. The city is situated at the northern end of a chain of mountains that runs for about 60 km from the Cape of Good Hope in the south to Table Bay in the north. The most obvious feature is Table Mountain (1,085 m at its highest point), at the northern end of the chain, with its characteristic flat top.

There are stunning mountains and land forms all the way along the Cape and it is a fascinating place to explore. Yesterday was a public holiday here and a group of us made the most of the beautiful weather to hike up Porcupine Ravine, which is in the part of the range just south of Table Mountain called the 12 Apostles, behind Camps Bay on the Atlantic Ocean side of Cape Town. Once on top, we walked along the flats for a bit and then headed down again via another valley. 

It was a tough hike - going up the ravine was very hard work, especially as I really needed two fully functioning hands to haul myself up over boulders. Thankfully the guys in the party were on hand to pull me up when I needed help! I also felt a bit of vertigo as the track was very steep and the sides of the ravine steep also - I am really pleased we didn't descend that way as I don't know that I would have made it. But it was worth the climb and the views were spectacular. 

The vegetation in the mountains is a type of fynbos (which means "fine bush" as it refers to the small, fine leaves of the shrubs) which is the dominant vegetation type in much of the Cape area, both on the mountains and lowlands. Fynbos is made up of small shrubs (most are about half a metre or so tall) with some succulents, grasses and bulbs etc. There is a huge diversity of species, including lots of different proteas and ericas, for example, and it really is a very fascinating botanical entity.

I hope the photos below give you some idea of the dramatic beauty of this part of the world (rock-climber's heaven!), and the sheer craziness of attempting any hike up a ravine here! 

Porcupine Ravine is the light brown track just left of centre, in the green vegetation between the two rock faces

And the view looking down the ravine to Camps Bay and the Atlantic Ocean!!

Looking north to Table Mountain

Tracey, Fiona, Sian and Paul, much refreshed by lunch

The topography and vegetation

Tom and I at the top of ravine, with Lion's Head in the background

The flat tops made for much easier hiking!