Silvermine Hike...

We love Silvermine, a special place within Table Mountain National Park. Here you can hike many miles of beautiful trails with spectacular scenery literally everywhere you look! There is also the Silvermine Dam, where you can enjoy a refreshing dip after your mountainous exertion.

We visited Silvermine, with Mom and Dad (and Flicka) and Rhyenn and Jesse, on Tuesday, 21st of December. This is one of our favourite places and we make a point of coming here every time we're in Cape Town. We hiked the circular 9 km (6 mile) loop (gaining 300 metres in altitude!) from the dam to the Noordhoek - pictured here - and Hout Bay lookouts and then back to the dam.

We had a picnic lunch overlooking Hout Bay and then returned to the dam, where we had a lovely swim before heading back to town. The kiddos did well, considering it was their longest-ever hike in hot weather. Riaan has been on this hike before, but back then he was in a carrier the whole way! Silvermine is a fantastic place and I'm sure we'll be back here on our next visit to Cape Town! :) 

Striking lizard sunning on a rock.

The view looking towards the back table of Table Mountain from the top of Ou Kaapse Weg.

Pretty flowers.

Pincushion proteas growing at Silvermine.

View looking back towards the dam with Constantiaberg in the distance.

King Protea getting ready to open.

View overlooking Noordhoek. Long Beach is clearly visible, as is Chapman's Peak.

Cousins photo above Noordhoek.

Love the colours of the rocks here.

Hiking towards the Hout Bay viewpoint.

I love this photo of Riaan and his Grandad. It makes my heart happy!

View looking back towards Fish Hoek (just left of centre) and Simon's Town in the distance.

A snail clings tightly to this plant.

More interesting plants.

Constantiaberg (with the radio tower on top) clearly visible here.

Pretty little papery flower.

Lunch overlooking Hout Bay. Beautiful!

Family photo. :)

Heading back down towards Silvermine Dam - from where we started that morning. If you make the photo bigger and look far in the distance you can just see Cape Hangklip on the other side of False Bay.

Another photo that's very special. Eliza follows her Granny, walking stick and all. :)

Back down at the refreshing dam.

Grandad heads to help Eliza into the dam.

Selfie with Candace and Anya. :)

With Riaan...

And Eliza - while Riaan plays with Grandad and his cousins in the background.

Thirteen-year-old Flicka loved the hike and the dam!

Even Anya got her feet wet. :)

And then Candace went in with Riaan. :)