Hermanus

I'm on my way back north to Cape Town now, stopping here in Hermanus for a few days, then Cape Town a few days, then the airport to have the bike crated, and me installed on a flight to Heathrow.

Hermanus is billed as 'the Whale-Watching Capital of the World'.
I think the photos below will back up that claim. For a lot of the time, the huge Walker Bay, with Hermanus at its northwestern end, is alive with spouting and splashing whales. Southern Right Whales at this time of year.
They seem to circulate round the bay in an anti-clockwise direction, so any you see way over to the south east will slowly make their way to the rocky viewing areas below the main square of the town.
Slow is the key word here. They certainly take their time. About the speed of the average mountain, or maybe a red London bus making its way along Oxford Street.

Popular viewing place just below the town square. It's a bit like a whale boulder itself.
















So I ventured down to the front stalls with the rest of the folks.







































On the far side of the bay some headstands were being practiced.































This marine performance was all very well, but there were other things to be done.
A road climbing up into the mountains above town leads to a viewpoint:




Hermanus, and Walker Bay.






And probably the last bit of dirt road of the trip:


A tricky little track up to the top of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve overlooking the bay, just to round things off.





The descent needed a bit of care - sharp right corner just ahead and nothing but views of the whales in the straight-on direction.



Now, all being well, it's the final tarmac run to the Mother City, Table Mountain, Signal Hill, and a crate to London and Whyteleafe for H.M. The Bike.

Posted by Ken Thomas at October 20, 2010 10:36 PM GMT