Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. A blanket, something to eat, a view of the water. False Bay has some exceptional places to stop and stay awhile.
Picnic Spots
Silvermine Reservoir
20–25 min
Built in 1898 as a water supply and opened for recreation in 1912, the Silvermine Reservoir sits at the heart of Table Mountain National Park's southern section. Grassy banks, well-separated picnic spots and swimming in surprisingly clear mountain water. Egyptian geese, Cape sugarbirds and occasional black eagles overhead. A Table Mountain National Park entry fee applies.
St James & Dalebrook Tidal Pools
Walk from home
The St James tidal pool was built in 1903, carved from the rock by convict labour, and refills with every tide. Sit on the granite ledge above it with coffee from Olympia and watch the bay curve south toward Cape Point. The Dalebrook pool next door is quieter and just as beautiful. This is the definition of doing nothing well.
Olifantsbos Beach · Cape Point
45 min · Entry fee
One of the most remote beaches inside the Cape Point reserve, a wide, wild stretch of Atlantic coastline with fynbos pressing right down to the shore. Often completely deserted, with a shipwreck visible from the beach and excellent birdwatching in the surrounding scrub. Pack everything you need; there are no facilities.
Miller's Point
30–35 min
The designated braai and picnic area here is one of the best on the peninsula, well-maintained facilities, granite boulders, a tidal pool for swimming and the dramatic False Bay coastline stretching south. Southern right whales breach offshore between July and November. It fills up on summer weekends; arrive before 10am.
Tokai Forest
25–30 min
The Tokai Arboretum was planted in 1885 as a research project into which exotic trees would grow in the Cape Colony. The result, over 1,500 trees including century-old Californian redwoods, oaks and pines, all labelled, is one of the finest picnic settings in Cape Town. Braai facilities, a tea garden (Lister's Place), hiking trails and mountain biking. Entry to the forest is free.
The pace here isn't chosen, it's imposed by the place itself. False Bay has its own tempo.
