The lighthouse at Cape Hangklip, on the eastern entrance to False Bay, is far remoter than I expected it to be, and much further than expected from the actual Hangklip mountain feature, too. Reaching it required a drive through Pringle Bay (where John and Tanya gave us further directions), down a long dirt road, and finally a fairly long walk through fynbos and beach sand.
The Hangklip light is the twin of the light at Milnerton, but in a far more arresting setting. Apparently maintenance staff occasionally see leopard footprints in the area around the lighthouse – testimony to its remoteness. The plain concrete tower is 22 metres high with a light of 800,000 candelas, visible over a range of 25 nautical miles. Like the Milnerton light, Hangklip was commissioned in 1960.
The tower is not open to the public, and it isn’t a good idea to go there alone, although we did see several families toting fishing gear on the day that we visited. We also watched a very entertaining and efficiently-performed boat launch at the Skuitbaai slipway.
Everything I know about this lighthouse is from Gerald Hoberman’s magnificent book, Lighthouses of South Africa.
