Crayfish Factory #1: Strandloper Trail
Note: The posted coordinates are for suitable parking nearby
The cache, a small camo-taped tablet pot, is hidden just east of the Crayfish Factory, just off the Strandloper Trail (signpost now missing?) which runs along the north side of Witsand Bay via Misty Cliffs towards Scarborough.
To find the cache, you will first need to complete a jigsaw puzzle by clicking on the image below . . .
A strandloper (Afrikaans for ‘beach walker’) was a member of the Khoisan people who lived by hunting and gathering food along the beaches on the shores of southern Africa from prehistoric times until the second millennium AD (see here). It now means a person who collects items on the shore, ie. a beachcomber.
The term was also used during apartheid by some white South Africans, as a gesture of rejection of the government's racial policies through self-identification with the native inhabitants of the country, and subsequently by those attracted by beaches and beach lifestyle.
To reach the cache location: take the M65 Smitswinkel-Fish Hoek road as far as the crossroads @ S 34 9.881 E 18 20.527 and turn south here along Lighthouse Road (signposted Soetwater). When you reach the junction @ S 34 10.400 E 18 20.533, just before the Soetwater entrance gate, turn left (south) and head down to the large parking area at the end of the road.
The was hidden in recognition of Zambesiboy’s cache GC2Y21X Crayfish Factory which was hidden near here on 12/6/11 last found on 7/8/16 and archived on 7/7/19 after 93 finds.
From the cache site there are wonderful views to the south across the bay towards Misty Cliffs, a small conservation village on and below the slopes of Platkop, further on to Scarborough with its beautiful long sandy beach and to Cape Peninsula beyond.
Because of its easy access, long sandy beach and usual strong winds, Witsand Bay is a popular kite-surfing destination. The best views of this great action sport are from the M65 which passes high above the beach.
The annual 16km Strandloper Trail Run along the coast from Noordhoek via Kommetjie to Scarborough passes by the cache location.