Hiking Hole-in-the-Wall & Caveman's Overhang

The Hole-in-the-Wall route
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Published in Die Burger on 15 May

This is a combination of parts of two interesting routes on the Back Table, incorporating nooks, crannies, holes cracks and fantastic views. It’s a good route to do in summer as most of it is in the shade and it’s great for children, if you can get them to the start. Route finding is a little tricky but this adds to the adventure.

A lot of squeezing

From the top of the concrete road and next to De Villiers Reservoir, continue downhill to the Overseers Cottage on your right. This is one of two accommodations on the luxury Hoerikwaggo Trail. Take the path to the left, opposite the tap and continue along this sandy path which runs parallel with De Villiers Reservoir, 5min.

A hole with a view
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The path comes to a sharp bend going off to the left, where there is a large rock on the right. Continue past this rock on a narrow footpath along the ridge above the restricted area of Orange Kloof. After a short distance the path rises over a rocky section just before flattening out next to a moss-covered rock-face and then descending slightly. A little further there is a narrow step-over next to yellowwood trees.

After roughly 15 min the path dips slightly into a trough of ferns and boulders. Continue through this trough before climbing a short distance to the right where you pass through a hole or ‘doorway’. As you pass through the ‘door’ keep right and head for a sheer rock-face where there is a small hole in the corner. This is the Hole-in-the-Wall and the route passes through this!

Caveman's Overhang after the hole
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After crawling through the hole there is a forest dripping with what looks like green hair but is a lichen called Old Mans Beard/Klimop, Usnia spp. Lichens are formed when there is limited nutrition but they efficiently absorb nutrients from dust and drops of moisture in the atmosphere. Lichens contribute to soil formation where the combination of algae and fungus exudes an acid that eats away at the rock. This weathering makes the rock weaker and eventually the lichen-covered rocks erode and crumble to form soil, obviously over many years!

Caveman's Overhang route
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Keep to the right and go underneath branches before scrambling up and over rocks to once again reach daylight. The path now crosses rocks and then vegetation to a large rock and an easy scramble to the other side (do not go around it).

The path rises gradually hugging the rock before flattening once again keeping to the rocky ridge. Carry on along the ridge, where you will see the concrete road and Alexandria and Victoria Reservoirs but take care not to fall into holes. Follow the ridge where there are a few cairns but look for broken branches, worn rocks and flattened vegetation, signs of where others have trodden. The route passes up, over and around rocks and Podocarpus latifolius, Geelhout/Yellowwood.

Caveman's - what next!
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Wynberg caves are in the forested area below the ridge. This is the only place on earth where the missing link between worms and insects occurs. The velvet worm peripatus is regarded as the evolutionary link between segmented worms, such as the common earthworm and anthropods such as millipedes.

As you get closer to walls of rock ahead, you will reach a junction where a path goes off to the right to descend to the forest, in the direction of the concrete road. Turn left and follow cairns uphill to a crack sheltered by trees. Scramble up this short pitch to reach the top of the ridge.

You are now walking a section of the Caveman’s Overhang route, the original one starts from Orange Kloof, where a permit is needed and is limited to 12 people, tel 021 6894441.

From the ridge, continue a short distance before dropping one level to where you need to crawl through a hole. Squeeze through the hole and go left on a level path before descending into a gully and passing a large cavern on the left. At the rocky area keep left under large trees and then descend, 5min.

Go to the left and keep to the rock face as much as possible scrambling down a short pitch before going left and eventually coming to a fern-covered area and Caveman’s Overhang, 15min.

Continue along the rock face climbing over boulders and under trees. There are a couple of rock cracks to squeeze through and at times it seems that it’s not possible to continue, but you can, 30 min.

The route eventually joins the Hole-in-the-Wall route and terminates at De Villiers Reservoir, 30 min.

DETAILS:

The Hole-in-the-Wall was “designed” by Dave and Phyllis Carter and party in 1982, while Caveman’s Overhang was “found” by Cyril Roberts in 1975.

Directions: Start from the north end of the De Villiers reservoir wall. There are many ways to reach this part of the mountain: from Constantia Nek long the mule track and concrete road, up Cecilia Ridge, or further afield from Nursery Ravine.

At one time, we hiker’s could cross De Villiers reservoir dam wall until TMNP took away the wooden bridge and didn’t replace it, making it tricky to cross the overflow.

N.B. These routes are not difficult but beware of falling into holes and crevices. It’s compulsory for first-time initiatives to climb through the ‘hole’.