Waterworks Museum Walk, Cape Town

The Waterworks Mueseum Walk is a won­der­ful 12km walk start­ing at the top of Table Mountain (at the cable car sta­tion) and end­ing at Constantia Nek.  With a bit of pre­par­a­tion and plan­ning, you could work it that you only spend about five minutes walk­ing uphill and the rest is flat or down­hill walking ...

In order to do this you are going to have to take the cable car to the top of the Table Mountain; its either that or tak­ing on the two hour ‘amble’ to the cable car station!

Your goal is Constantia Nek, via the Waterworks Museum which is found on the Back Table.  To get to the museum you need to turn left on leav­ing the cable car sta­tion and fol­low the con­crete path on the back edge of the table top.  Four path­ways meet about 10 minutes walk from the cable car and you need to fol­low the route towards Maclears Beacon and then on towards Echo Valley and the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir.

It should take about 20 minutes to reach Echo Valley and you should then make your way for a fur­ther five minutes or so towards the oppos­ite slope where you will be rewar­ded for your efforts thus far with a fant­astic view over the Hely-Hutchinson and Woodhead reservoirs.

Photographs by Iain & Stefani.

The Waterworks Museum is found at the base of the Hely Hutchinson Reservoir wall and to get to it you need to fol­low the path and then make your way over a rocky stretch (about five metres in total).  Follow the con­crete road toward the Museum which is nor­mally open seven days a week but if it’s not open the over­seer should have a key.

The jour­ney either back to the cable car or on to Constantia Nek should take about two hours so ensure you leave your­self enough time to reach either destination.

If you are car­ry­ing on towards Constantia Nek resume your walk by either climb­ing onto the wall of the reser­voir, or if you have a thing for heights, use the road below the wall.  The more scenic route is the path on top of the wall, but either road will take you to Constantia Nek, and you join up with the lower road at the end of the dam wall.  Follow the road for about two hours until you reach the end at Constantia Nek.

Notes:
Please remem­ber that if you do choose to walk the entire way to Constantia Nek you will need to make sure that you either have a car or a lift wait­ing for you.  If not walk to the museum and then retrace your steps back to the table top and catch the cable car back down to your vehicle.

Always make sure you fol­low the moun­tain rules and take enough water with you.  Sun block and a hat are essen­tial in the sum­mer and a light, water­proof jacket should always be car­ried.  Try to walk in a group of no less than four people and a fully charged cell phone is always handy!

Useful Links:
Table Mountain Photographs
Table Mountain National Park
Things to Do in Cape Town