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December 13, 2004

Views from the Table Top

The Cable Car ride up the last part of Table Mountain is well worth the effort. The car rises just over 600 metres to the summit of the mountain and gives access to a restuarant, amenties, and a carefully laid out network of paths which allow visitors to complete a long and fascinating walk around the summit without causing damage to the delicate sandstone and the ecology.

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The spectacular view of Cape Town, the Docks, and the Bay from a lookout point near the Cable Car station.

The mountain is geologically unique, being sandstone seated on primordial granite called the "Malmesbury Upthrust". No one is able to explain why this particular sandstone formation has survived, the last remnants of a huge sandstone plateau formed more than 400 million years ago. The mountain itself was then more than 3 kilometres in height, but is now weathered down to a mere 1,088 metres - still over a kilometre above the bay!

The views from the top on all sides are as spectacular as this, but, as with all mountains, the weather is a major consideration. At this altitude it pays to remember that the temperature is lower, and the sunburn factor higher than in the city or on the beach, and the clouds can form and blanket the top in a matter of minutes, reducing visibility to nil very swiftly. A siren sounded at the Cable Station warns of cloud cover, and visitors are warned to return to the station immediately if it sounds.

Still worth the effort and the time spent there!

Posted by The Gray Monk at December 13, 2004 09:32 AM