Hike Newlands Forest to Newlands ravine

Route Summary
Distance: 8km
Estimated time: 3hrs + stops.
Total Elevation gain: 805m
Type: Out and back/Circular
View Newlands ravine walk map

* Medium length walk with a lot of uphill.  Offers combination of indigenous Afro-Montane forest (only pockets left on Table Mountain) and stunning views over the Southern Suburbs and Cape Flats.

Route description

Find your way to the Newlands Forest parking area situated below the Newlands Fire Base just off Union Ave in Newlands.

Walk up the road from the car-park through the boom and past the helicopter pads on your right.  At the T-junction you will see the Littlewort Trail sign ahead of you and slightly to your right (see picture).  Follow the Littlewort trail, a well-used path which meanders upward through the fynbos and other indigenous shrubs.  Keep your eyes out for the young Yellowwood trees and other indigenous saplings establishing themselves after being planted as part of a re-forestation programme - see photo.

Young Yellowwood tree

Keep on this path, crossing another path at right angles, until you reach a T-junction, at which point turn left for a hundred metres or so.  You will come to a river; follow the path upwards with the river on your left until you arrive at a bridge (with a jeep-track crossing horizontally) with some benches.  Pass through this area and continue to climb on the path with the river on your left.  A path will come in from your right at marker "P"; keep left and head back towards the river, keeping it on your left and noting the following landmarks as you go:

• Boardwalks shortly after the "P" marker
• On your right, a very faded "X" marker marking a young Yellowwood tree
• On your left, you may notice 1 or 2 opportunities to cross the river; don't.

About 500m from the bridge, the path has curved to the right away from the river and there is a "V" marker on the left hand side.  A few metres later you have the opportunity to head upwards, past a group of largish moss-covered rocks; or downwards;  Go up.

Picnic table at the base of Newlands ravine

From this point there is a fairly hard 20 minute uphill walk to the beautiful picnic spot on the upper contour path at the base of Newlands ravine.  As you follow the path upward, if you find a split in the path (there's at least one obvious one), choose the route which heads upwards.  Eventually you will intersect with a boardwalk, which is the upper contour path, and just to your right will be the picnic spot (see picture), a good place to rest and have a drink.

Directly opposite the entrance to the picnic table is the path leading up Newlands ravine, marked by (at the moment) an old and rusty but still legible sign.  Once on this path it will take you to the top of Newlands ravine with no opportunities for mistakes.  The scenery gets steadily more dramatic as you gain altitude and about half-way up you break out of the forest with sheer rock cliffs rising above you and views out over the Cape Flats to the Hottentots Holland mountains in the North.  At the top you will be in the saddle between Table Mountain and Devils peak, and look down on the lookout point known as Pulpit rock (subject of an earlier post).  Enjoy and explore.

On your way back, you can retrace your route to your car; or, if you would prefer a slightly circular route and to see a bit more of Newlands forest, at the picnic point turn right (as you come down) onto the contour path and continue that way.  You will cross the bottom end of a huge rockslide before crossing two streams; shortly after the second stream, the path splits; go left, and the path heads steeply down to the head of a jeep-track; follow this for about 20 metres until you see the path heading downwards on the left.  After a few hundred metres the path connects again with the road, and almost immediately afterwards you have the opportunity to leave the road to the left again on a path which doubles back.  This path heads downwards until you hear the river ahead of you and then splits - turn right and keep going down, with the river on your left.  100m on it splits again; keep left towards the river, and shortly after this cross the river to rejoin the path you headed up on earlier, near the faded "X" marker.  Head down keeping the river on your right now, and you will soon be back at the bridge.  From here any path downwards will take you back to your car.