Dog Walkers Geocaching Ring
Noordhoek has been transformed over the years from a rural farming community to a sought after rural residential area. The valley nestles in an amphitheatre to the south of the magnificent Chapmans Peak and Silvermine mountains, with the iconic sweep of Noordhoek beach and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Much development has taken place but there are many recreational opportunities in the valley with horse riding being a prominent activity. Dog walking is a popular past-time and many dogs, including ours, have enjoyed regular outings on the fields and paths of the valley. We have created a series of caches which are accessible to canine owned cachers and hope that the entire family will participate. The series can easily be done in a single circuit but most can also be approached individually from nearby roads.
The ground conditions change considerably with the seasons and can vary from hot and dry to very wet underfoot in places in winter, but all areas are accessible through-out the year. Ticks are present in the wilder areas at times so dog owners need to take appropriate precautions and inspect their dogs and themselves after the walk. Please also keep dogs on leads in areas where there are roads and traffic and when there are horses or the local dairy cattle about. Although the area is relatively safe and open, it is best to walk in groups and leave valuables at home.
Across the main road to the north you can usually view alpacas, some of which have travelled all the way from Peru. These entertaining creatures are kept for their wool and around November each year they have an appearance more like ET after they have been shorn. They are one of the smallest members of the camel family and in their homelands they are used in the same way that sheep are in South Africa. They can survive in very harsh and barren conditions at high altitudes (3500m to 5000m) in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile.
The buildings opposite the cache area to the west used to be the local Parks and Forest mountain fire station. The local authority no longer operates this facility although until fairly recently there were emergency fire fighting teams on standby during the fire season. The fire-fighting teams have been relocated and helicopter water bombing seems to play a larger role now when fighting mountain fires.