View down Myburgh Ravine towards Longkloof Valley, at the Constantia Nek end of Hout Bay.

My heightened concern turned to distinct relief when I reached the edge and found myself on Twelve Apostles gazing down at Oudekraal, with Judas Peak, the 12th peak of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, to my left. Clifton, Camps Bay and Lions Head to the north were however obscured by the haze and cloud. I could see the coastal road from Camps Bay as it ran past Bakoven and the Oudekraal Hotel. It dawned on me that the path I had been on had led me in a westerly direction towards the Atlantic, on a course parallel to Longkloof Valley below, which I had walked up earlier, towards Constantia Nek.

I was not out of the woods yet, so to speak. I still had to find the route that led me off the mountain via Llandudno Path. Going back down Myburgh waterfall was not an option! I followed another path almost south, away from Oudekraal, so as to avoid the track which we see me retrace my steps to the ravine. The former drops down into a sloped valley, which I was almost certain was the one I needed to be in, before doubling back on itself to the right. I recognised the terrain, remembering that the more apparent route down the middle of the valley was to be avoided. I searched out for a path leading off to the right, as if heading towards Judas Peak, but which would in all probability link with Llandudno Path, still out of view at this stage. Content in the knowledge that I had, through sheer luck and instinct, managed to navigate my way here in somewhat alien weather conditions, I stopped for my first tea break of the day and with a mobile signal present, called my brother.

Though unlikely to admit it to anyone later, I was acutely aware that I had pushed myself to the edge of my comfort zone, which only served to remind of the danger of taking Table Mountain for granted. A half an hour later, I descended the steep ravine down a path that, initially at least, proved a bit of a scramble, before becoming more stable, with the appearance of it being maintained. As it rounds a corner below Judas Peak (on my right), the cove that is Llandudno Beach, as well as Little Lions Head, comes into view. Cars lined Victoria Road, which joins Llandudno and Hout Bay. Soon I found myself below the cloud, warmed by the rays of the penetrating sun.

Sporadically, I passed a number of hikers heading up the ravine. The path reaches a traverse that runs across a ledge below the ravine that may, in all likelihood, only be descended with extreme difficulty from the valley above. I could see A new addition to the Llandudno route in the form of solid, metal hand-grips bolted to the rock, proved suitably convenient when attempting the descent. After Hout Bay's Sentinal, Hout Bay harbour, Chapmans Peak and Noordhoek Beach come into view, the path drops down to Suikerbossie, where it joins the Longkloof Valley route above Ruyteplaats Estate. Gazing west, as the angle to the waters of the Atlantic below narrowed, the ocean surface turned silver as it began to reflect the rays of the late afternoon sunlight. To the south, an ominous layer of thick, low Black South Easter cloud still hung over Karbonkelberg. Weather-wise it had been a strange day, yet that only served to highlight its uniqueness.