Noordhoek, Cape Town

Noordhoek is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, approximately thirty-five kilometres to the south of the city itself. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner". It is best known for its picturesque shoreline and its long, wide, sandy beach, which stretches south to the neighbouring village of Kommetjie. Near the southern end of this beach is the wreck of the steamship "Kakapo", which ran aground about a century ago when the captain mistook Chapmans' Peak for the Cape of Good Hope and put the helm over to port.Noordhoek can be accessed either from the spectacular scenic coastal road, Chapman's Peak Drive, which leads out of Hout Bay or via the mountain road Ou Kaapse Weg which cuts through the beautiful Silvermine Nature Reserve - now part of the Table Mountain National Park. Noordhoek is a small scattered community of nice houses, often with sea views and has a large horse population as riding on the long sandy beach is a great attraction. Many artists live in Noordhoek.