The first stop on my South African visit is Bantry Bay. I will be living there during July. It’s a suburb of Cape Town situated on the slopes of Lion’s Head and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Bantry Bay was originally named Botany Bay because of the botanical gardens planted there to cultivate medicinal herbs.
Lion’s Head is the eroded core of an ancient volcano. Along the local boardwalk there’s a plaque commemorating Charles Darwin’s observation that the site had a unique geological feature – ‘the intrusion of Basaltic volcanic rock into granitic rock’. Another unique feature of Bantry Bay is that it’s one of the most wind-free areas in Cape Town – a good thing since July is mid-winter and possibly a stormy month!
