Slingsby Maps researches, compiles and publishes the finest maps available in South Africa.
Well known for many years for his maps of the South African National Hiking Way, the Drakensberg, Table Mountain, etc. Peter Slingsby decided in 2000 to embark on a series of highly detailed and well researched maps of the Western Cape. 'The complex beauty of the Cape and its mountains begs for maps that compare favourably with the best in the world,’ he says. And that is what hikers and tourists get when they purchase a Slingsby Map.
Peter and Maggie Slingsby live near Muizenberg, a seaside village on the Cape Peninsula, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, where they are both actively involved with Slingsby Maps cc. They have co-authored some of their books, notably “Walks with a Fat Dog”. Maggie is also the co-author of a successful graded reading scheme for Foundation Phase learners, which is published in all eleven official South African languages, while Peter has written several prize-winning youth novels. He has also written a biography (with Amida Johns) "TP Stokoe -- the man, the myths, the flowers". The first-ever Field Guide to Southern African Ants is all Peter's work, while books he co-authored with his late friend, Ed Coombe, include Place Names of the Cape, Beyond the Cederberg, etc.
For 50 years, Peter Slingsby has created masterpiece maps, enabling outdoor junkies and lovers of wide open spaces to navigate their way through unknown territories, with the help of a lesser known hero.
Hiking South Africa caught up with Slingsby, in an effort to celebrate his career and unique character, and through this article shared insight in to a world most don’t give much thought to.
“Peter Slingsby needs little introduction. If you’ve ever had a desire to explore a new area in the Cederberg, Drakensberg or Table Mountain, to mention a few, you’ve most likely ended up drooling over one of his beautifully detailed maps. We had the privilege of asking him a few questions to get to know this self-taught cartographer and legendary character a little bit better…”
There is much life, and wonder, beyond a Google app!