Constantia Nek
Constantia Nek is a low pass that crosses Table Mountain from Constantia to Hout Bay. It is one of the passes that connects Hout Bay to the city. Constantia Nek was also known as Cloof Pass. The road is busy as it is a single carriageway even though it is a major thoroughfare.
A bit of history
When a rich source of timber was discovered on the slopes on the back end of Table Mountain, the area was called Hout Bay meaning ‘Wood Bay’. Transporting wood out of the area meant building a road big enough for horse-drawn carts. Construction of this dirt road began in 1666. Horse-drawn carriages had to climb to the summit of Constantia Nek where a toll station and lay-by was used by workers moving logs from the Hout Bay plantations to the Castle of Good Hope in the city centre.
Remains of the Conway Redout can be seen behind the restaurant. It was built during the French military occupation of the Cape. The occupation was in support of the Dutch colonists. With the arrival of the French troops, under Colonel Conway, on 3 July 1781, the so-called ‘French Period’ began. The French occupation saw great prosperity in the Cape. House property, slaves and horse values rose 50-100%. The demand for produce grew so much, that the Company had to fix maximum prices to protect itself.
Back in the day the journey from Hout Bay to Cape Town that troops took would be a six to seven hours march. The road up to the Nek was a pleasant walk. Le Vaillant used to take on Sundays. He was furious when the road was badly ripped up. It was thought that the British were about to attack the Cape. To prevent the road from being used by the British large holes were dug to prevent wagons and artillery from being transported over the Nek.
The road slopes gently from the connecting the back side of Table Mountain with the Vlakkenberg and Constantiaberg.
At the summit of the Nek is a large car park, on one side of the road. From here one can walk between Constantia Nek and Kirstenbosch. Also at the summit are a couple of restaurants The original building there was the oldest restaurant in Cape Town.
