On Thursday 23 August 2018, seven MCSA members, including two from the Eastern Cape, met at the SANParks parking lot at the top of Kronenzicht, Hout Bay. We set off just after 07h30, with the rain just having stopped in time! We hiked up to, and along, the informal ‘Rocket Road’ above Sandy Bay to the Blockhouse above Oudeskip from where we followed the path to The BOS wreck.
The vegetation has recovered remarkably since the fire last year and is looking beautiful, but Rooikrans is invading quite badly in places, particularly where there were stands of it prior to the fire, and needs attention. The path is holding reasonably well, except for a bit of a land-slide, about three-quarters of the way to The Bos, which is rather precipitous and exposed. Part of the route just beyond this point is not so clearly defined, but is not a problem. In this section we spent a short while weeding small Rooikrans along the path, and then proceeded to a sheltered, sunny spot above the wreck for tea.
On the way back we decided to look for an alternative off-path but safer route along the base of the cliff, above the landslide. Back at the Blockhouse, we descended the ridge to Oudeskip which was inaccessible because of a high tide, had lunch, and then proceeded along the coastal route intersecting with the track from Sandy Bay and walked back up to the neck, reaching our cars at about 14h30.
Penny Brown