Noordhoek is a seaside town in the Western Cape, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula and is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south of Cape Town. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner". It was given this name in 1743 as being the northern corner of the Slangkop farm. The first permanent resident of European origin is Jaco Malan who built his house there. In 1857, the region was divided into six plots, most of which were bought by a single family, that of the de Villiers. Noordhoek nevertheless remains a predominantly rural area where farmers grow vegetables to supply ships calling at Simon's Town. It is best known for its 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 in 1900, when the captain mistook Chapman's Peak for the Cape of Good Hope and put the helm over to port.[2]

Noordhoek
Noordhoek Beach from Chapman's Peak Drive with Kommetjie in the distance.
Noordhoek Show map of Western Cape Noordhoek Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34.104°S 18.360°E / -34.104; 18.360
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Area [1]
• Total	29.05 km2 (11.22 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	31,980
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	67.3%
• Coloured	2.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	24.6%
• Other	5.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Xhosa	47.4%
• English	28.5%
• Afrikaans	4.8%
• Sotho	1.1%
• Other	18.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	7979

Noordhoek can be accessed either from the 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 Silvermine Nature Reserve - now part of the Table Mountain National Park. Noordhoek is a small scattered community of houses, often with sea views and has a large horse population as riding on the long sandy beach is common; the beach is a 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch of fine white sand backed by Chapman's Peak (592 m (1,942 ft)) and the Table Mountain National Park. Winds are often strong and the sea is cold and wild. The town consists of a riding stables and a scattering of villas in a wide grassy valley with oak trees. In the middle of this valley is the Noordhoek Farm Village, with craft shops, a children's playground, café, pub and restaurant.[3]

Gallery

• 
  Looking north along the beach. The slopes of Chapman's Peak rise to the right at the end of the sand. The peak in the distance is Karbonkelberg, west of Hout Bay
• 
  An evening flight over Noordhoek Beach, with Kommetjie in the distance.

Overview of Noordhoek

References

External links

• Media related to Noordhoek at Wikimedia Commons
• Noordhoek travel guide from Wikivoyage