Bloubergstrand

Almost every photograph of Table Mountain seen from across water is taken here: Bloubergstrand sits on the far side of Table Bay, and from its beach the mountain stands squarely behind the city with Robben Island offshore, framed at a distance that no viewpoint in the city itself can match. The same geography brings the wind. The south-easter funnels across the bay through summer and turns Big Bay into a kitesurfing arena, with hundreds of kites up on a strong afternoon; the Red Bull King of the Air event has been held here, and the water is a training ground for big-air riders. For anyone not on a board this means the beach is often too windy to sit on, and the photograph everyone comes for is better in the calm of autumn mornings. The water is cold Atlantic, around fourteen degrees, and swimming is brief by nature.

History

The first people recorded here were the Goringhaikonas, whose leader Autshumao, known as Harry die Strandloper, was taken to Java in 1629 to learn English and became the first postmaster in South Africa. Frederick Louis Stadler, whose first house Ons Huisie is now a provincial heritage site, came to own almost all the farmland here after 1806 (Wikipedia, Bloubergstrand).

What you'll find

• The classic view - Table Mountain across the bay with Robben Island offshore.
• The kitesurfing - Big Bay under hundreds of kites on a windy afternoon.
• The south-easter - the summer wind that makes both the sport and the discomfort.
• The cold water - Atlantic at around fourteen degrees, even in midsummer.

When to go

November to March for kites and wind; autumn mornings for the still photograph. Two to three hours.

Before you go

Wind is the point for surfers and the problem for everyone else - sand blasting is real on a strong day. The water is genuinely cold. The beachfront is built up with restaurants and apartments, so it is not a wild coast. Parking fills on summer weekends.

Nearby

Table View adjoins it; the West Coast road runs north to Langebaan.