I was recently asked by the official Destination Marketing, Investment and Trade Promotion Agency for the Western Cape, Wesgro, to write up a list of great trails in and around the Western Cape to be included in a trail running booklet. I've already written about five great ones previously, so here are the other five I sent along.
Pipe Track
Pipe track is a well know route running from the base of table mountain across to Camp's Bay side. It is a flat route with some small ascents and descents, and has a good level of technicality. The views are fantastic, and you can run various lengths. Some days I ran a quick 5km, other days well over 10km. The pipe track also has multiple paths leading up to Table Mountain if you want more of a challenge.
Pipe Track Sunday Quicky
Diagonal Path
Deer park
There’s nothing quite like going for a trail run to bring some nature into the work week. A great Deer Park route starts above the Woodlands Eatery parking, then heading left along the mountain, past the Disa Towers and towards Devil’s Peak. There are quite a few inclines and declines, and some pretty technical bits which will keep you on your toes. This route is right in the middle of town, super accessible and has loads of different options. You can go for an easy 5km, or a really difficult 20km if you take this up to Devil's Peak.
Newlands Forest
Newland's Forest has some fantastic thick and lush vegetation, and is perfect for both road and trail runners. There are loads of well marked paths, and some decent inclines and declines. The views are fantastic, and if you want a more difficult route you can head up all the way to Newlands Ravine or even Devil's Peak.
Signal Hill
If you are up for a mix of road and trail running, you can head up to Signal Hill from town (Cape Quarter is a great starting point). Using the entrance on Strand St, you head straight up and over Signal Hill. This route is quite tough, but as always the views are spectacular.
Bot Rivier
Bot Rivier is a quiet town around a 90 min drive from Cape Town. There are so many amazing routes there, from riverside runs to epics with hundreds of meters of elevation gain. If you ever feel like getting away from it all, definitely head to Bot Rivier.
I hope these routes will come in handy, enjoy the trails!
