Chapmans Peak Drive with a view to Hout Bay
On our quest to find exciting outdoor activities to do with our kids, we had over looked something as simple as taking them with us when we head out for our average exercise session. Our kids are no longer toddlers. We are no longer stuck in the phase of having to leave them at home when we go out training. But we’ve been doing this, because it just never occurred to us not to. We take them climbing mountains but don’t think them capable of joining us on our weekend runs (obviously not running too – they would need wheels). So we have recently set about rectifying this.
We have an incredible mountain pass on our doorstep, we can’t stake it as our own however, it is world-renowned. Visited by thousands of tourists every year, raced on by cars when shooting advertisements, and serves as the bane for many cyclists as they slog their way up it during the Cape Argus Cycle Tour every March. It is Chapmans Peak, home to some of the most outstanding views along the Cape Peninsula.
Every weekend both runners and cyclists alike take to the roads, many making their way through Hout Bay and over Chapmans Peak, or ‘Chappies’, as the locals lovingly refer to it. Cars travelling that route have learned that things will be a little slower, they’ll have to watch the road a little more carefully, and most sports people out to enjoy the morning respect the fact that cars need to use the road too. Every weekend Shaun and I join in the mix, running or cycling with the other folk set on enjoying the spoils of living in this city. Most recently, we let our children join in our morning fun, we let them breath the fresh sea air and stretch their legs while whizzing along the incredible coastal road.
After a bit of transportation scheduling, Shaun and I set out with the kids, their scooters, helmets, leather biking jackets and gloves in tow. To ease them into the idea (and because they had recently been down with flu), we drove to the top of Chappies so their first experience would be going down hill. All kitted out, we set off down the mountain. Lincoln threw himself into it without a second thought, his smile reaching from ear to ear as he hooked his scooter into the corners at a pace Shaun could barely keep stride with. Lola, in her gentle cautious manner, proceeded down the hill with one foot on the break, gently easing herself into the corners and glancing nervously at me to make sure I was alongside her. It was beautiful and peaceful on our end, exhilarating and fast on Shaun and Lincolns. The boys would wait for us every now and then, stopping to catch their breath until they could see we might go whizzing by, when they quickly leapt back onto the road to keep in Lincoln’s customary first position. He’s not one for sitting idly by while someone goes ahead of him, this is not reserved for scooters, bikes or walking, it applies to all sports, all of the time. He simply has no capacity for second place. Lola on the other hand, has all the capacity in the world. She is far more comfortable coming in second than she is coming in first. She likes to be one of the crowd, and she likes to be comfortable. This is something I am keenly aware of, as I suffered much the same fate for most of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love to come in first position, but not at the expense of being pushed out of my comfort zone. This is still something I am wrestling with. But my guess is that Lola is going to be skipping along mellow road for a while yet, and I shouldn’t be in any hurry to spur her on as I could only just keep pace with her at the bottom of our 5km scoot-run. She had garnered enough courage to have me running at a pace I generally reserve for 100meter sprints. It was awesome to see her courage building like that! I’m not sure I could go much faster.
Lincoln and Lola were both psyched when they reached the end and expressed an unquestionable desire to do it again. The scooters worked incredibly well but they both complained of 1 tired leg the next day, while in their more dramatic moments walked around dragging it behind them complaining it wouldn’t work. I guess this spells more practice 🙂
Would I do this again?
Absolutely! It wasn’t only the kids who loved it. It was so great to be out as a family on an ordinary morning doing our training. We are crossing into areas we haven’t attempted before and it’s exciting to be able to do it as a family. This obviously wouldn’t work all of the time but for an average training session it was fantastic.
What to be aware of?
Your kids must have a very good awareness of road safety, and they must listen to you at all times. You have to set the boundaries upfront and be firm. If they don’t listen, game over. Make sure your kids are kitted out in protective gear, without question a helmet, but gloves and a jacket are great too, they will prevent scrapes on minor falls.
