Scarborough Beach

Sitting on Cape Town’s exposed Atlantic Seaboard, at the base of the long finger-like peninsula which extends to the Cape of Good Hope, is the little beachside village of Scarborough. Despite being only a short drive from the city the beach here feels pretty wild and sits on the edge of the Cape Point Nature Reserve. The large swathe of white sand beach is backed by low dunes and heath through which wooden boardwalks wind. Beyond this the land rapidly rises up towards craggy peaks.

If taking a stroll and soaking up the scenery isn’t enough for you there are plenty of rock pools to keep younger explorers occuppied. Being exposed to the open ocean there are often sizeable waves here. Whilst this is great news for surfers it can mean care should be taken if swimming as rip currents can be strong.

Scarborough beach is a great get away spot and even during the height of summer it rarely feels too busy. Much of the rest of the year it is just the surfers, or on windy days, the kitesurfers who frequent the beach.