Incisively split in two by the challenging pass of Ou Kaapse Weg – which I tackled painfully a few times on two wheels while last-minute training for the 108-kilometer-long bicycle tour Cape Argus with Henri, my 80 year old father-in-law who by the way just bagged the Argus for the Xth time on March 10th – Silvermine is a perfect escape for day hikes.

Picnic at Bertie’s Balcony

While visiting last December, Marie and I used the very little free time we had to venture into the southeastern section, hiking up to the clouds, through multiple ravines and onto a rocky outcropping called Klein Tuinkop according to Slingsby’s map, pierced with galleries like a gruyère.

Constantiaberg and Table Mountain seen from Bertie’s Balcony, top of Ou Kaapse Weg visible center left
Sculpted Rocks
Looking over False Bay as the clouds are forming
Rooiwortel (Dilatris)
The caves under Klein Tuinkop

* The Argus does not actually go over Oo Kaapse Weg, staying instead close to the coast, but it features plenty of climbs and Oo Kaapse Weg is one of the meanest training roads around Cape Town. It’s steep, hot, can be extremely windy and the proximity and speed of traffic will definitely shake a cyclist’s confidence.