Donkin Reserve

Sir Rufane Donkin, acting governor of the Cape, named the town after his wife Elizabeth, who had died in India two years earlier, and in 1820 he built a stone pyramid on this hill above the bay with an inscription to her memory - the city's name and its oldest monument come from the same grief. Beside the pyramid stands the lighthouse of 1861, now a small museum you can climb, and the open ground around them is the Donkin Reserve, held in perpetuity as public space by the terms of the original grant. In 2010 the hill was reworked with the Route 67 public art trail: sixty-seven artworks, one for each year of Nelson Mandela's public life, running down the hill in mosaics, sculptures and a large steel silhouette. The city's Victorian terraces line the reserve, and the view runs over the harbour to Algoa Bay.

What you actually see

• The 1820 pyramid - a governor's memorial to his wife, and the origin of the city's name.
• The 1861 lighthouse - a climbable tower with a small museum inside.
• Route 67 - sixty-seven artworks for the years of Mandela's public life.
• The bay view - the harbour and Algoa Bay from the open hilltop.

When to go

All year. Two hours. Daylight only - the reserve is quiet after dark.

Honest expectations

The area has had petty crime and is best walked in daylight and in company. Lighthouse hours are limited. Some Route 67 works have suffered vandalism and repair is patchy. Wind on the hill is strong.

Nearby

The beachfront is downhill; the Boardwalk and Bayworld are along the bay.