University of the 3rd Age (U3A), Cape Town,
  
Walking, Hiking and Climbing Groups
 

The following are the hiking and walking groups affiliated to the Cape Town and False Bay branches of U3A.  (Tygerberg and Somerset West branches also have hiking and walking groups which are not listed here.) A member of any U3A branch is welcome to hike with any group subject to there being space available (some groups are full). Some groups start at a fixed time every week and others vary according to the route. Most groups go out every week.  


A visitor or new to Cape Town?   See www.mountain-meanders.com for background information on the Cape Mountains, routes, safety, grading and much more.

  • Mondays 
    • Mountain Mondays - reasonably energetic hiking.  Peter Gibbard, tel  021 715 4553 or gibbard@netactive.co.za.  Every Monday at 08h00
    • Flat Earth Walks - easy, scenic walks on the level of 2-3 hours, with every second week on a beach. Partridge Gardner, tel  021 701 2929 or mailto:partridge.gardner@lineone.net  Every Monday at 09:00
  • Tuesdays
    • Cape Mountains for the Curious and Adventurous (CMCA) - longer walks (5-9 hours) usually involving rock scrambling. See http://tinyurl.com/U3A-CT-CMCA for the current programme.   Tony Heher  tel 021 794 5730 or 082 654  5582 or tony.heher@gmail.com
    • Flying Tortoises - 3 to 4 hour easy walks.  Norman Reynolds 021 782 2653 or Hans Moolenschot  tel 021 794 6954 or hansmoolenschot@gmail.com   Every Tuesday at 08h00  
    • Peninsular Mountain Wanderers - for the reasonably fit. Malcolm Boyle, tel 021 788 9519 or 083 453 8609 or malcolm.boyle0@gmail.com
  • Wednesdays
    • Fynbos Rambles -  Nature Walks. Easy walks exploring the flora of the Cape. Sheila Robinson <sheijohn@absamail.co.za> or tel  021 782 0773
    • Hiking for the moderately fit early birds - requires a reasonable level of fitness - and a liking for an early start!  Frances Boulle, tel  021 712 1771 or  franjuneb@isat.co.za 
  • Thursdays 
    • 2x4 Hiking Group - moderate to intermediate walking. Well behaved, fit hiking dogs welcome.  Denise Young tel 021 685 7443 or 083 261 3326 or dlyoung@mweb.co.za  
    • Mountain Magic - Covering a wide range of walks from short and easy to strenuous 6 to 10 hour expeditions.  It will also aim to explore new routes (at all grades) on the Peninsular and in the country mountains and to provide training opportunities for new leaders at whatever level they feel comfortable with.  Tony Heher  tel 021 794 5730 or 082 654  5582 or tony.heher@gmail.com (Initially this group may only meet once or twice a month i.e it will  not be every week.)
  • Fridays 
    • Mountain Meanders - moderate to more strenuous walks, typically 3-5 hours. Tim Cronin tim@croninsa.co.za or tel 021 715 5380. 
    • Songololo Stompers - moderate walks - dogs very welcome. 2 to 3 hours. John Vallance 021 715 4366 or vallancejohn@gmail.com  and Fi Skennerton  021 785 4174  or
    •  fi-fishhoek@mweb.co.za 
    • Slowly Up The Hills Walking Group - 2 to 3 hours. Dogs very welcome. Peter Rickards 021 788 9469 or <peteric@telkomsa.net> or Nancy Murray 021 783 3233 or nanmur@telkomsa.net. Every Friday at 08h00 in summer. Note: If you are unsure of your walking ability, this is a good group to start with. 
  • Saturdays
    • Walking the Peninsula - (Blaauwberg) - mostly on Silver Mine and Table Mountain. Last Saturday of every month. John Waddington, wadcap@isales.co.za, Tel. 021 552 6686 
  • Every full moon 
    • Moonshine Walking Group  . Late afternoon walk to enjoy sunset, moonrise and supper, at the destination, followed by a walk back by moonlight. Duration: 3 to 4 hours. Easy walks from April to October (level 0). Mountain walks from November to March (levels 1 to 2). Contact Walter Behr 0787594524 or w.a.behr@gmail.com
    Standard of hikes and walks:  Each group has a typical range of difficulty with lots of overlap i.e. there are not hard and fast boundaries between the different groups.  It is important that your ability is a reasonable match to that of the group - for your enjoyment and that of the group.  If in doubt, start by trying an easier walk and then "graduate" to the more difficult. Many participants hike with more than one group - that is quite OK. The page Guide to the type of walks done by each group summarizes the types of outings done by each group, but if in doubt, call and ask.
     
    If you don't find the combination of day of the week and walk difficulty that suits you, feel free to start a new group!  It is a simple and easy process and any of the convenors will help you get going. The groups provide good companionship and safety.  There have been no incidents in the course of 1000's of meets in the past 10 years. Note that there is a demand for places in some groups with an expectation that you will walk regularly.  Those who come out infrequently may find they are dropped from the respective mailing list. NB See also the notes on the Guides to Groups page about getting into "full" groups.  It is possible, but participants need to demonstrate their commitment! 

     

    Programme: The current programme for each group is sent out by email. If you wish to receive updates, please contact the relevant group leader.  Generally only email notices are issued so if you are not on email, you will need to call to find out what is happening.  Some groups issue a programme a few weeks in advance but many work on a week-by-week basis enabling the route to be tailored to the weather. Want to check the weather yourself? Windguru and Windfinder are useful sites. 

    Location: Walks tend to be mainly on Table Mountain and the Peninsula (Steenberg, Simonstown, Cape Point, etc) but Cape country routes are also done by some groups. Many groups share transport, especially for walks that are further afield, so generally it is better to call and confirm attendance. (Some groups do not require this - check with the relevant leader.) 


    Details of other Greater Cape Town U3A Hiking Groups have been added and Blaauwberg hikers are now listed above (Saturdays) whilst hikers of U3A Helderberg have their own website at http://www.nabuco.ch/~hiker.u3a//home/Welcome.html


         Membership of U3A and Cost: It is a requirement that all participants are members of U3A, although visitors (local and international) are welcome.  See the U3A website at http://u3a.org.za/ for further details. At  R30 pa (False Bay) or R40 pa (CT) the U3A fees are nominal.  There is also a nominal charge per outing which is collected by the course convenor who sends the relevant fees to U3A.  Charges vary from R1 to R5 outing.  To avoid collecting small amounts each week some leaders accept a lump sum payment for the year.  Consult the relevant course convenor for more details. Charges for non-U3A visitors are at the discretion of the leader - typically R10/outing. Prior to joining a group or walking as a visitor, the group leader will require that you complete an appropriate indemnity form.

     

    Sharing of travel costs: If obtaining a lift, it is a requirement that you contribute to the travel costs unless the members of the group alternate cars and agree to waive costs.  These may be specified in the meet description, but if not, use the table or spreadsheet available here.

     Indemnity: By my participation in any activities held under the auspices of the  University of the Third Age (U3A), or sanctioned by U3A, I indemnify and absolve the U3A and individual members from any liability of any nature whatsoever and howsoever caused to me which may arise from any injury, illness, damage, loss, mishap, accident, or other occurrence. I acknowledge that I am aware of the risks to which I might be exposed as a result of such participation and voluntarily accept such risks.