Take a hike: Mountain is free... and it can be easy

A city's skyline is its signature. In Cape Town, it's Table Mountain that dominates: the city a sprawl of scattered buildings at its feet.

Yet the skyline shares one unmistakable characteristic with those of other cities. We get used to it. That is why I go walking on the mountain as often as I can. I remind myself to appreciate it not as a characteristic of the city, but as an escape from it. It's like coming up for air.

It's estimated that two million people walk in Table Mountain National Park annually. That is counting the paid entrance points at Boulders Beach, Cape Point and Silvermine.

While these are wonderful, I reserve them for special occasions. The rest of the mountain is free, and easy to access.

It's enlightening to discover proof of the mountain's former island status at the top of Skeleton Gorge, when your feet hit the flaky white sand.

But you don't have to summit the mountain in order to spend time on it. And you don't have to plan your entire weekend around a hike.

Simply drive to the top of Vredehoek and walk along the gravel trail that snakes above De Waal Drive. It's a wonderful way to spend 30 minutes before work. Or park your car at Rhodes Memorial and head around the skirts from there.

Devil's Peak and Lion's Head are easy to climb after work in summer - Devil's Peak is slightly steeper but much quieter.

• Mike Lundy's Easy Walks in the Cape Peninsula is exactly what the title suggests - a collection of walks that won't leave you aching for days. To stand a chance to win one of two copies, tell us how many people walk Table Mountain annually.

Send your answer to tellus@thetimes.co.za by noon on Friday.