Clifton 4th Beach – Under the Cover with Ed Beukes
Living in a city where pristine beaches are but 10 minutes’ drive away from anywhere, one is bound to find a favourite spot and jolt off as soon as the sky is blue and the sun glows like a golden medallion in the sky. Clifton 4th Beach becomes my backyard during summer and the sand in my car is the proof to my summer pudding…
Clifton 4th Beach, is one of four Clifton beaches, all of which are separated by falls of granite boulders, giving them their covey shapes. Each beach is largely characterized by their demographics, as each visitor has their own local favourite.
The best part about Clifton 4th Beach is that it was awarded the Blue Flag award in recognition of its environmental safety and tourist standards…
Even though traditionally, Clifton Beach has been a local hideaway where locals go over summer to get away from the famous Camps Bay Beach (1.2km away) tourists, I realized last summer that the secret is out. Everyone seems to want a piece of Clifton 4th Beach.
Chris and I, usually take the whole shebang; sun-umbrella, sunscreen, snacks, reed mats, sarongs and a couple of books that never get read and if we want to jazz up our outing we’ll even rent some deck chairs to show off, tan or take a midday nap on…
Although the water is chilly (12-16˚C), there are always people swimming, body surfing or kidding around and after lying an hour or two in the hot sun, your own body will soon be dragging you to the water, taking your heart along and leaving your brain behind.
Clifton 4th Beach also attracts a lot of families, so the classic scene of a child building a sandcastle becomes a daily occurrence here.
While lying with your head under a hat and peering out to the water you can also expect to see yachts anchored off Clifton 4th Beach over the weekends and the occasional group of friends braaiing crayfish on their deck.
Parking can become quite a hassle if you plan on arriving at the beach around noon during season; otherwise there is sufficient parking in walking distance of the beach.
Another great reason to enjoy this beach, is the clean and neat changing room and bathroom facilities with open showers outside to wash off the sand and salty water at the end of the day.
Clifton was rated as one of the Top Ten Beaches by the Discovery Channel in both 2003 and 2004, and in 2005 and 2006 Clifton was rated at number 8 in Top 10 Topless beaches in the world by Forbes.com; something I had of course also witnessed during many of my sunbathing sessions.
Clifton 4th beach is accessible by taking one of the couple of narrow concrete stairs leading down from the road above. One must remember that everything you’re taking down to the beach, must come back up again, so do bear in mind that kiosks and vendors regularly come past selling snacks, ice-creams and cool drinks on the beach.
Often, we would give in to the tantalizing call “Granadilla Lolly” from the passing vendors and have have orange granadilla running down our chins. This too, is all part of the Clifton beach experience and why we go back over and over again throughout summer
Content and Images: Ed Beukes