Battle of Blaauwberg

Blaauwberg Beach, photo courtesy Jim Sher

Relive a piece of South African history, push yourself to the extreme and dine on gourmet food at the scene of the Battle of Blauuwberg (now known as “Bloubergstrand” or simply “Blouberg”).

Fought on the Blaauwberg beach near Cape Town in 1806, the Battle of Blaauwberg was a small, but significant battle at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in which the British beat the Dutch, and which subsequently established British rule in South Africa for the second time. Historian Tim Couzens describes the battles as “one of the largest seaborne invasions Britain had ever undertaken”.

There’s not much physical evidence of this battle that remains, though you can go to the site where Lieutenant General J W Janssens (the then Governor of the Cape) had his base camp. While little remains of the camp, the site offers a magnificent view across Rietvlei and Table Bay.

The area also offers a host of outdoor activities to please even the most adventurous visitor: 4x4 trails; abseiling; mountain and rock climbing; cycling paths; diving and snorkelling; helicopter flips; hiking trails; kayaking and surf skiing; kite surfing; mountain bike trails; parasailing; wind surfing; quad biking; sailing; shark cage dives; waterskiing; and surfing are all available in and around the area.

For a slightly less active approach to relaxing in the area around the Blaauwberg Battle, the nearby surrounds offer places for bird-watching; galleries and museums; health spas; theatres; game viewing; whale watching; and wine tasting.

There are a number of guesthouses in the area. (Search our accommodation database, by clicking “Bloubergstrand”, under the Cape Town North region.)

Blouberg is renowned for its wide range of restaurants, many of which overlook the bay. But once you’ve eaten and are perhaps looking for something a little more up tempo, there are a range of pubs and clubs from calm and sophisticated to upbeat and trendy.

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