Hout Bay to Oude Skip

Hout Bay to Oude Skip, a set on Flickr.

A warning – this is a route only to be tackled with the utmost care and planning. I am pleased to have done it, but not again in a hurry.

There are sections where you can only get through at low tide and in calm conditions. We thought we had planned sufficiently for the low tide but were caught by high waves and ended up trapped, with no way back. The escape gully is steep and dangerous, with loose granite rocks and scrambling through thick bush. We were lucky, with some advice from mountain rescue via cell phone, to find our way out.

The route also has a good deal of exposure on steep granite slopes that fall off into the sea. The last part, on Duiker Ridge, where there used to be a well established path, is also in the process of being cleared of alien vegetation by SANParks and the path disappears suddenly. It requires considerableg bundu bashing towards the block house. Not good, especially if you don’t know where the path used to be and where you are heading.

It was an 11.5 km walk and took over nine hours.

Nevertheless, it is a spectacular route, with great views and interesting coastline.

Hout Bay to Oude Skip – 2nd Sept 2012