Skildersgatkop Bowl
This is one of five caches located in a beautiful and wild eastern part of Skildersgatkop ridge and Silvermine valley. This one is located in a hidden bowl up on the ridge approx 500m ESE of Peers Cave.
Skildersgatkop or Painters Cave Hill, is named after the famous nearby Peers Cave which has ancient bushman paintings on its walls and is where the 12,000 year old skeleton of Fish Hoek man was discovered.
Notes on Access Challenges: There used to be good trails to access the area but after continuous rampant alien overgrowth over the years, many of these have become difficult to find, or have simply disappeared.
So, although waypoints are provided, these are the original ones based on the situation of almost 13 years ago when the first 2 caches were placed and the alien invasion was much less. This means that, whilst using these for general directional guidance, when necessary, you will need to make your way through and around the overgrown areas using the best route you can find.
It is usually possible to find a way through – especially if you make use of any more rocky sections en route, which are generally easier to negotiate than the sandy slopes, especially if these are heavily vegetated. Either way, distances involved are not great, so more difficult sections will be relatively short.
The best way to get up to the bare sand part of the dune field is still the approach from the west (Sunbird Centre) end of the valley. Once on the sand, you can plan the best way up to the East Ridge or Bowl caches. Once up on top, the route between these two is not problematic.
To reach the cache:
Park at S 34 06.710 E 18 24.487 near to the Sunbird Environmental Centre which is just off Ou Kaapseweg at east side of the Silvermine Village junction.
Note: as stated on the sign board, the boom gate here is closed (and sometimes locked!) at 17h00 so time your adventures accordingly. If by bad luck or timing you do get locked in (as we did!) you may manage to find a helpful someone with a key at the Centre or nearby houses.
Proceed to the trailhead boom gate at S 34 06.717 E 18 24.480 and continue down the jeep track to S 34 06.879 E 18 24.636 just before a bridge over the Silvermine River.
Turn off here heading south down a small trail to the start of the dunes at S 34 07.090 E 18 24.766. Climb up the dunes and look for an exit at S 34 07.127 E 18 24.763 down a short steep slope between the bushes.
Ascend the small trail heading up the hillside ahead of you. When you reach S 34 07.173 E 18 24.760 turn right heading SW up past a series of rocks. You will reach a clump of rocks at S 34 07.208 E 18 24.755.
Carry straight on up the steep slope passing over a short patch of cut alien bush branches until you reach a small gap at the top of the ridge at S 34 07.232 E 18 24.747 and access to the hidden bowl and small valley to the east.
Descend into the bowl and head for the huge boulder where the cache is hidden.
From here you may:
a) return the way you came
b) attempt to find a way through the bush west along the ridge until you pick up the Peers Cave trail coming up from Fish Hoek valley which continues west along the foot of the ridge cliffs passing the excellent GC3B1F Snakes & Ladders. If you come this way, be sure to visit the amazing Tunnel Cave just below the summit beacon area (accessed by crossing over before this to the north side of the ridge).
c) proceed on to the next SawaSawa cache GC1YV1H Skildersgatkop East Ridge Summit which is not far away at the east end of the ridge and where you can find details of the second half of the hike to complete the circuit.
Please note: The tick attribute for the two Skildersgatkop caches is highly appropriate - so do take the necessary precautions (eg. tucking trousers into socks, mutual grooming - if lucky enough to be with a close friend!) and do carefully check for any remaining unwanted passengers when you leave the area and when you get home!
