Cape Town - Voicemap now has nearly 30 walks in and around Cape Town.
This week we tried one of its newest offerings, Changing Neighbourhoods: Walmer Estate and Upper Woodstock.
The audio commentary is by Christine Hogg, who lives in the area. She kindly took the time to meet us at the starting point – the Garden Court hotel overlooking Nelson Mandela Boulevard – and walked part of the way with us.
To fill you in, VoiceMap is a smartphone app which uses your GPS along with informative and interesting commentary which tells you about the area you are in. In this case, Hogg has included interviews with local residents and business owners for an even richer experience of the history of these suburbs which were once farmlands. As with previous walks, the technology and location accuracy is amazing, although I must say, with all its innovations, Apple could do with investigating more comfortable earphones.
From the hotel there is quite a steep walk up into Walmer Estate, but as Hogg says, the views get better. This and other suburban sections are places you’re not likely to explore any other time, and although I’ve driven past it more times than I can count, I’ve never walked through the park just below the freeway.
From there you cross over using the footbridge and arrive at the top of Roodebloem Road. If you didn’t use the facilities at the hotel before setting off, there are plenty of places to stop here. I’d suggest you time it for late morning or the afternoon as many of them only open at lunchtime. The audio in the app does have short built-in silences, but it can be paused manually if you decide to pop in to Jamaica Me Crazy for a craft beer or Pesce Azzuro for a seafood lunch. The walk is not recommended at night time.
At the four-way stop intersection between Roodebloem Road and Salisbury Street you’ll find Parker’s, the almost-corner café which has been there since forever. Opposite is Dress Me Up, which wasn’t open yet but we peered through the door of the heritage building and saw it has lots of amazing vintage clothing. Across from that is Salisbury’s deli where we paused for refreshments. It’s a cute place with a fabulous selection of craft beers and wines, but the “omelette muffin” we had was a letdown, containing horrible cheap ham.
In Salisbury Street itself is a branch of Field Office, another cool place to stop for a while; I’d say to rest but this is hardly a strenuous excursion. If not for doing this walk I would never know this branch existed as it’s a coffee shop off the beaten track and right in the middle of suburbia. A good thing is that if you want to drive there, you won’t struggle to find parking.
The last part of the walk takes you from Salisbury Street up Mountain Road, past the Greenpop Nursery – look these people up, they do great things for the environment – and to the community Peace Garden where local residents plant their vegetable allotments.
The audio will warn you there is a dog on the premises, but she’s the sweetest, friendliest thing. There are also rabbits, guinea pigs, and a brood of fat speckled hens lorded over by one enormous rooster. We sat on a bench in the shade and they crowded around us, clucking hopefully in case we had food for them. The Peace Garden is a remarkable oasis of greenery just metres away from the traffic rushing by on the boulevard.
The walk ends where it began, at the hotel. It is a wonderful learning experience which gives Capetonians a new perspective on their own city. I urge you to take the time to explore.
l For more information go to https://voicemap.me/, and download from your app store.
Weekend Argus