A view of Lion's head and signal hill from the road that runs to Devils Peak.

We spent a couple of hours watching all the boats at the waterfront on Christmas day. After lunch we took a drive on the road that runs along the slopes of Table Mountain as far as Devil's peak nature reserve. The weather was good maybe a little a little hot, so we then took a short drive along the coastline as far as Camp's Bay to catch some breeze. We arrived back around 3.30. here are some photo's of our outing.

Another view of Lions Head

A view coming down from Signal hill

The Twelve Apostles. On the way to camps bay

Camps bay beach

Another view of Camps bay

On the way back through the CBD going down Kloof road in Tamboerskloof.

Coming to Wale street very soon

Adderley Street, a main road that runs right through the city to the foreshore.

Can't say I have ever been here on a holiday, when it hasn't been full of traffic felt really strange to me for it to be so quiet.

Bartholamew Dias Statue at the foreshore

The Absa building

Wow thanks Dawn great shots, good to be able to see around the area!

Thanks Bruiser. It was a pleasure to show you guys . Hope your Xmas was good. I am sure it was, it always is to us southern hemisphereans eh!

Sure is Dawn, though we did get some welcome rain in the afternoon. You certainly had a wonderful day. The pics are great & we really enjoyed seeing them. Beautiful shots with lovely clear skies & NO SNOW!!!!!!

Yep, it is strange seeing, normally extra busy, CBDs almost empty of traffic. Our village is the very opposite, as we are now into traffic jam time with all the tourists.

Thanks joy! Glad to hear it cooled down a bit for you.

I think everyone was at the waterfront, certainly looked like it!!

I took this photo on Xmas day too, thought it might interest some.

These are two Dutch 12 pounders, relics from the days of the VOC, and are situated on the Camps Bay side of Kloof nek. There are many canons in and around Cape Town.

Two are at the top of signal hill, moved there in 1902 from the Castle of Good Hope, where they are used to sound the midday hour, now they continue to but from the Hill. I have been in Cape Town when the gun has gone off but never up the hill.
It is Cape Towns oldest living tradition, and I read somewhere two of the oldest canons in the world still used on a daily basis. There are two as if one fails, the other is there in place to do the job. The canon is triggered from the Astonomical Observatory, which is situated in Observatory, one of the leafy southern suburbs east of the hill, or around the slopes of Devils Peak.

See ya later

How loud are these cannons, Dawn???? Can they be heard for quite a distance?? That is a wonderful piece of history. Love your photo & the hills.

I have struggled to find out exactly Joy. So far all I can tell you confidently is that it has been heard clearly in Goodwood a suburb 20kms away. I have also been told depends on the wind. It is a very loud boom when in Cape Town, but that is being directly under it.

Here are some photos of the Noon Gun.

Here are some links of info I found when trying to find out the distance the blast travels.
I liked the Wiki link best as it gives a story of how a spider interfered with the mechanism and the gun fired at 10.30 one day instead of 12. .

The others have some photos with great views from there and more history on it than I could tell.

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Many thanks for that very interesting information & your wonderful images, Dawn. It is great to learn about such traditions. Your pics were much superior to the ones being used in the links, too. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] alt="" />

Table Mountain taken from Lion Battery with the 'table cloth'



Thanks Joy!

We decided we wanted to watch the Gun go off so we went on New years eve day. It was an awesome experience, very deafening even though we stood 200 yards or so away from the firing point and blocking our ears.

Taken from the road on the way down from Lion battery