Saturday 13 September 2025 - Newlands 7am meet - circumnavigate Devil's peak

[Geoff Nell]

Good morning all, this Saturday we do the "TMTTT" - Table Mountain Trailers Tough Ten, making a circle around Devil's Peak.

Starting at Newlands, we go UP to the right, along the jeep track, turning left onto single track to go UP to the turnstile and the blockhouse.  Just above the blockhouse is a choice - we will be turning left to go UP Mowbray Ridge, those wanting to skip this fun and very beautiful rocky climb can continue along the contour path, bypassing the left turn to Woodstock cave, taking the next left turn UP to Oppelskop and around the scenic trail above the city and UP to the top of Newlands Ravine.

Those of us going UP Mowbray Ridge will bypass the first and second contour paths and head UP to the third and highest and best contour.  The views are magnificent along this beautiful and well maintained path.  We head along this path (keeping a sharp lookout for Himalayan Tahr's which are often seen on this strech), popping out at the mini-saddle, where we head to the top of Newlands Ravine via the saddle proper.  Anyone thinking that my route is not tough enough can summit the Devil as a detour.

Distance 10km, lots of climbing, weather possible drizzle and a Southerly breeze which can be ice cold at this time of year, especially from the mini saddle to Newlands Ravine.  Bring a warm top, water, food, space blanket, charged phone, meds, and anything else you think you might need on this adventure, and a bag big enough to fit in all of this.

Meet at Newlands car park to start moving at 7am.  See you there...

Any questions phone or whatsapp:

Geoff

082 570 4405

Copy and paste.....

Have you ever seen a peculiar, goat-like mammal trotting the slopes of Table Mountain? If so, you’ve stumbled upon the infamous Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), a large ungulate (“hoofed animal”) native to Northern India, Southern Tibet, China and Nepal.

The story of how these exotic, ‘wild goats’ found themselves on Table Mountain is a colourful one. Way back in the 1930’s, nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain near the University of Cape Town, was the Groote Schuur Zoo. It covered two hectares of land and had numerous animals such as lions, crocodiles, emus and tahrs – two of which managed to escape.

Once roaming free, a number of factors led to the success of the Himalayan Tahr as an invasive species. Firstly, there are enough similarities between Table Mountain and the tahr’s natural Himalayan habitat – typically steep, rocky mountain cliffs flanked by woodland and scrub. Secondly, the scarcity of predators on Table Mountain (compared to predation by the Snow Leopard in its native territory) has meant that tahr population growth was limited only by access to food and water, and its own reproductive rate. A third contributing factor has been the tahr’s flexible digestive system, which has enabled it to feed on a wide variety of vegetation. This, coupled with the animal’s capacity to be extraordinarily mobile has supported its constant access to food and water resources.

The result is that we have a substantial population of tahrs on Table Mountain today. Fascinating as these shaggy mammals may be, however, their exotic nature poses serious challenges for the natural biodiversity and fragile ecosystem of the mountain. They contribute to loss of endemic plant life and soil erosion through heavy foraging and over-grazing, and their aggressive species presence threatens that of the klipspringer, an indigenous, ‘rock-hopping’ antelope that has been reintroduced to the region.

[Geoff Nell]

We are on for tomorrow, perfect weather and a cooling breeze - see you at Newlands 7am

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From: Geoff Nell <geoff...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, September 8, 2025 10:03 AM
To: tmtra...@googlegroups.com <tmtra...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Saturday 13 September 2025 - Newlands 7am meet - circumnavigate Devil's peak