Rhodes Memorial to Newlands

Saturday 20 June 2026

Note: If you would like more information about any of the walking groups, see the WhatsApp Community

The Saturday Probus Walking group enjoyed an easy walk from Rhodes Memorial towards Newlands on some of the lesser known paths, It was a new route for most, which is always fun. The weather was glorious. Warm and sunny with no wind. One of those 'terrible' Cape winter day secrets that are useful for keeping tourists at bay!

When this path met the junction where the 'Mother-in-Law' track joins, we turned up to return along the upper path, stopping for tea at the Newlands Link junction.

And yes, there is a track called 'Mother-in-Law', named by the crazy mountain bikers who come careening down it. Next to it is a track called 'The Other Woman'. Mountain bikers have a warped sense of humour!

Map from OsmAnd

If anyone is tempted to follow 'Mother-in-Law' or 'The Other Woman' up to the high contour path, be warned - they are both b****s!! (Perhaps that's how they got their names?) The Tuesday group found this out the hard way a few weeks prior when they accidentally landed on the 'wrong woman'. Daar was 'n groot gemors! It's a long, hard, steep, slippery struggle up.

Setting out: Piet, Duncan, Carien, Sally, Tony, Annie

(Annette taking the picture)

Tony, Annie, Annette: at the lower contour

Carien - Mobray Ridge and Devl's Peak

Devils Peak towering over us

Tea stop at Newlands Link: Tony, Sally, Piet, Annette, Carien & Duncan, (Annie taking the photo)

Back along the upper contour: Carien, Annie, Piet

Fynbos splendor

Annie and Anette on the way down to Rhodes Memorial

Burnt and broken trees making a surreal sculpture

This was the area burnt in the fire of April 2021 (see below)

Refresments at Forries after: Duncan, Piet, Annie, Annette, Sally, Tony Kevin and Carien. It was great to have Kevin join us again afterhis big op.

Any visitor to the Rhodes Memorial laments the destruction of the Tea Room in the April 2021 fire. It was an icon.

Tea Room rebuild: Current status (June 2026)

SANParks has issued a tender for the rebuild of the Rhodes Memorial Tea Room and associated infrastructure upgrades. The tender closed in March 2026.
The project includes not only rebuilding the Tea Room itself, but also upgrading water supply, sewerage, electrical services, parking, roads, landscaping and fire-protection infrastructure around the site.
Tender documents indicate an anticipated construction period of about 9 months, with a provisional start date of June 2026 and completion targeted for March 2027.

Why it took so long

SANParks explained in 2025 that rebuilding could not simply begin because the site lacked sufficient bulk infrastructure for modern commercial operations. Utility upgrades had to be planned before reconstruction could proceed.

Heritage considerations

The restoration is being handled as a heritage project. In 2023, SANParks confirmed that specialist architects, Gabriel Fagan Architects, experienced with historic structures, had been appointed to oversee the restoration planning.

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