Route 4 - Neck to Breakfast Rock

Start at the top of Constantia Neck.  Run the Bridle path (ignore the short cuts) until you reach Clayton's Road.  Keep on going up until you reach the Overseer's cottage (about 5km).  Just past the cottage you will find a path to the right marked by a cairn.   Take this path it is marked as the Hoerikwaggo Hiking trail.  Stay on this path running past the left fork into Ash valley.  Keep on going past the Nursery Ravine cairn.  Keep heading in the direction of Skeleton Gorge/Smuts Track.  Just past breakfast rock you will find a cairn and loads of signs, look for the directions to dams/Contantia neck.  Follow this path it will take you "inland" towards the Hely-Hutchinson.  At some point you will reach an old and rusty fence blocking your way.  Run to the left along the fence.  Keep fence on your right ignoring the paths off to the left.   After a shortish distance you will reach the road at the base of the Hely-Hutchinson dam wall.  Turn left and stay on the road all the way back to the car park.  On the way down take the short cuts for a slightly shorter route: 13.4km.

Parks Cairns show the way

Almost too many signposts...

Route 3 - Three Valleys

Start in the car park at Silvermine East.  Take the jeep track towards the waterfall.  run past the waterfall off shoot and keep on going until you reach a fork in the road.  Take the right fork cross the stream and keep on the jeep track until you reach a path heading off to the right (contour path around Klein-tuinkop).  Take this path and follow it around and then up through Klein-Tuinkloof.  At the top of the valley you will reach a cairn.  Run left toward the Amphitheatre, as soon as you are over the sinkhole look for a path running to your right.  This path will take you down Echo Valley - follow it.  Stay on this path until you have reached the cairn at Weary Willy's, turn left crossing a stream.  Stay left at the first fork (right would take you down to boys drive).  Avoid the next left turn into Spes Bona Valley, rather keep right up the loose gravel until you reach a single track running off to the right.  This is the Hilltop path, take the right and run along Hilltop path until you reach the cairn at Bailey's kloof - you can't miss it - there is a serious drop off and you can see Bailey's cottage way bellow.

At the cairn turn left into Mimetes Valley, run up and through the valley.  Stay on the single track until you reach a junction with the jeep track.  Take the road leading to the right, this will lead you to Junction Pool.  At junction pool take a right and then an immediate left onto the single track that will take you back towards the car park.  Follow the single track until it joins up with the gravel road again.  At this point turn right and head on home along the road.  Just short of 13km's.

Route 2: Higher Steenberg Peak

From the Gate 2 Sign Post take the route that leads to Wolfkop.  Follow the path past Wolfkop and up the climb to Steenberg Peak.  Near the top of  the climb there is a branch off to the right, keep left on the path.  Carry on climbing until you get to a cairn at the "fat lady shelter" take a right and head back down the peak.  You should soon be able to see the radio mast below and to the left.  When the single track joins the jeep track  turn left towards the radio mast.  Follow the track all the way till you reach the top of Farmer Pecks.  At this point you turn right back towards the car park.  Keep on straight ignoring the first turn to the left,  take the second left turn and run up the ridge towards St James Peak.  There are one or two paths off to the right ignore them.  You want to take the clear path to the right (the one at a right angle to the track that you are on).  This path will take you up the hill towards Muizenberg cave.  Just before the cave the path forks, take the left fork.  Run on down to the jeep track.  Turn Right and head for junction pool.  Once you reach junction pool you turn right and then immediately left onto a single track.  Follow this track until it reaches the Jeep track.  Turn right - head on home.

Our esteemed leader : Peter Rogers

Peter, a long time veteran of road running has finally (after lots of begging) agreed to lead up the VOB Walk/Run team. A master of races like Comrades and Oceans, Peter knows a thing or two about running. His only regret is that the current rage of Trail did not happen thirty years ago when I am certain he would have been up there with the Trail greats.   Apart from being a brilliant runner, good friend and trusty running partner - Peter makes the best tea on the trail.

Helping out as group leader on the odd weekend:




Sandy - resident photographer



Greg - front runner and pace setter

Silvermine West - River Walk, Steenberg Ridge, Panarama loop

Start from the car park to the left of the entrance (Gate 1).   Take the river walk to the mountain bike car park, through the car park.  Left up the gravel road to the path on the right that leads up onto Steenberg Ridge.  Follow that path northwards until it joins the Elephants Eye Path.  Turn left onto the Elephants Eye Path (away from the look out) and head towards Houtbay lookout.  At the junction with the main circuit path turn right for a shorter (10km) route back to the cars via the dam and the cycle route (runs next to the river walk) or turn right and do the Panarama loop before returning via the cycle route for just over 13km.  If you fancy some more single track you can take the lower Panarama loop - about 12km.

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