Small Fishing Boats
Clarence Drive
The R44 route begins at Gordons Bay the NE corner of False Bay with the high Hottentots Holland mountains towering above and winds for 50 km along a fantastic road at the edge of the sea all the way to Kleinmond. Soon after leaving Gordons Bay harbour you will notice a steep service road descending from the top of the mountain where the Steenbras Dam lies. This is not a public road but merely interesting in that as you round the corner you will cross a bridge over the Steenbras River. The water comes from the dam above.
Kogel Bay
About 13 km from Gordons Bay you will reach Kogel Bay. The name is thought to have originated from the shape of the large round stones on the beach reminiscent of the shape of cannonballs (kogels). The bay opens up into a lovely beach protected from the prevailing South Easter wind and very popular with surfers. During the Christmas holidays the camping site and tidal pool are most popular with fishermen and their families. Fishermen can be seen casting into the sea straight off the rocks all along this coast.
Beware of freak waves though this coast is seriously dangerous so never fish on your own! The highest peak in the mountain range above is the Kogelberg at 1269 m and this area is the natural home to the rare Marsh Rose protea.
Baboons
The road continues south along the edge of False Bay slowly gaining some height above sea level. Sometimes you can notice cloud pouring down from the top of the mountain range indicating that a strong South Easterly wind is blowing in the summer months. In the winter time the wind blows
predominantly from the North West and often the sea is whipped up with white horses and spin drift. The views across False Bay to Cape Point and the Cape Peninsula all the way to Table Mountain are breathtaking. All along the road
there are a number of laybyes and viewpoints where you can stretch your legs take photographs watch seals dolphins and whales (June Nov) or picnic but remember no fires are allowed and please dont feed the baboons. They are wild animals. After about 23 km you round the corner to approach the seaside village of Rooi Els.
Rooi Els
The road crosses over the Rooi Els river which snakes its way across a wide beach to the sea. Sometimes very early in the morning you can see otters frolicking in the waves! For more information about the natural environment stop at the small visitors centre next to the central shop in Rooi Els. This area is rich in Khoi history and there is still evidence of their existence.
Runaway slaves are reported to taking refuge in the mountain caves. Rock anglers crowd the famous ledges in the summer months when geelbek fish (
Cape Salmon) are running.
Pringle Bay
Leaving Rooi Els the R44 rises steeply away from the sea and turns inland for 5km before reaching the turnoff to Pringle Bay which nestles under
Hangklip on the most South Easterly point of False Bay. Pringle Bay was named after Rear Admiral Thomas Pringle CommanderinChief of Simons town naval base during 17961798. The village at the mouth of the Buffels River was
originally meant to be developed as a port so that farm produce could be transported across False Bay to Simons town. This never actually materialised so it is now a very tranquil holiday spot with one of the best sunsets in
False Bay.
Hangklip
To reach Bettys Bay you are faced with a choice to take the 10 km gravel road around Hangklip or stay on the main R44 for 3 km on the inland route.
Note: the 10 km gravel coastal road is often closed due to sand dune movement making it impassable. The gravel road around the coast takes you past the Hangklip Hotel once used in the Second World War by women of the armed
services as their quarters while they manned a radar station
to keep a constant lookout for enemy craft.) and the Hangklip lighthouse built in 1960 to aid sailors round the Cape. They often mistook Hangklip for Cape Point and therefore it was frequently referred to as Carbo False. If you feel adventurous you can walk along the beach at Mast Bay and observe the old Khoi fish traps just visible at low tide as manmade lowboulder walls.
As you near the outskirts of Bettys Bay you can take one more break to watch the intrepid sandboarders launch off the very high white sand dunes on the eastern side of Hangklip above Silversands Bay.
Bettys Bay and Stony Point
Take the old road through the Bettys Bay holiday houses in order to visit Stony Point to see the penguin colony before leaving Bettys Bay. A broad board walk suitable for push chairs and wheel chairs leads you over the rocks to the nesting site at the point. Penguins usually make their nests under rocks and occasionally you might even be lucky enough to see a mongoose
stealing an egg! The African jackass penguin only nests at two mainland sites Stony Point in Bettys Bay and Boulders Beach in Simons Town. They are very amusing and photogenic so dont forget your camera. The little harbour and
slipway is popular with small fishing boats especially during the crayfishing season in the summer months. It was first built for the small Whaling Station in use from 1912 to 1930. The main Bettys Bay beach is very beautiful and
only accessible by walking over a sand dune from the car park. There are dangerous currents but surfers and body boarders just love these waves.
Swimming is safest on the western end of the beach. It is also the end that the Black Oystercatchers prefer to nest so put your towels down carefully and dogs must be kept on a lead!
Harold Porter Gardens
A visit to Bettys Bay is not complete without stopping at the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. There is a curio kiosk and restaurant as well as a small nursery with indigenous plants and a myriad of paths for pushchairs wheelchairs children and hikers. The gardens are perfectly laid out to illustrate the diversity and natural settings of the different types of fynbos from
wetland to strandveld (beach bush). In winter the waterfalls splash down into dark pools in midsummer you can see the spectacular red disa orchid clinging to the edges of the steep rock at the side of the waterfall.
Kogelberg Biosphere
Leaving Bettys Bay the R44 reaches the Palmiet Bridge after 7 km. Just before you reach it you will notice two enormous rock structures forming
silh