Warm Waters
When it comes to bays, none is located in more of a hoek, as we say in these parts, than Gordons Bay - a small hoekie in the massive, mountain-enclosed False Bay. From the slopes high above the town, an enormous anchor, made of whitewashed rocks, overlooks the luxury waterfront developments that now line the bay.
Main Beach and Bikini Beach, next to the harbour, offer safe swimming and are packed with sunbathers enjoying their South African holiday during the summer months. Candidate officers of the South African Navy are trained at the South African Naval College on the eastern side of the harbour.
The place has a rather English seaside village feel about it, with little tea rooms, guesthouses and a second-hand bookshop, among other attractions. The water is just about always warm, and the waves small. For the record, the big 'GB' on the high slope of the Hottentots Holland Mountains above the village does not stand for Gordons Bay, but for General Botha, the original name of the naval training academy in the town.
A Good Selection
There is also a good selection of restaurants in the Helderberg, but if you want to try some real local fare, forsake the glitzy beachfront emporiums and sit on the pavement outside Ooskus take-away. They serve a mean calamari and linefish combo, at a very reasonable price.
For the spiritually inclined, Sheik Yusuf, the founder of Islam in South Africa, is buried on the farm Zandvliet and his shrine (or Kramat) is open to visitors.
This kramat forms part of the holy Circle of Islam, which believers say protects the Peninsula from evil forces.
Pilgrims will find the other sacred shrines at Signal Hill, Oudekraal, Robben Island, and in the suburb of Constantia.
The Eastern end of False Bay is dominated by the urban developments of Somerset West and Gordon’s Bay. This stretch of coast is called the...