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ROUTE NAME - Silvermine Reserve] |
On your bike :
Enter through the metal boom from the parking area and turn left into a climb along a rutted gravel road. Crank up a grueling switchback, partly stripped with dual concrete tracks to assist with traction in places. Summit after 2.5km, then carry on along the plateau before climbing anti-clockwise to the ride’s highest point (775m at 4.5km).
From here, it’s downhill all the way as you blast into a series of s-bends back down towards Silvermine Dam and onto the tarmac towards the reserve entrance. Just before the gate, hit a sharp right onto the gravel track here, boom through the dip and then onto the vertiginous Ou Wapad to link back onto Ou Kaapse Weg at 14.5km. Now it’s a tarmac climb to the Silvermine gate and then back up to the car for a 20.8km circular ride.
Off the bike :
The Peninsula wine routes are a must-do, with no less than 24 estates producing world-famous wines to choose from. Surfing at Noordhoek Beach, camel riding at Imhoff and sea kayaking at Boulders are a few other outdoor options.
The fynbos biome rates as the world’s richest floral kingdom with protea trees, erica shrubs and restios grasses, and it has just been declared a World Heritage site, so get out there and enjoy. Day hikes are popular, especially to Elephant's Eye, a cave with a bird's eye view of the South Peninsula. Shady picnic sites and mountain streams offer cool respite in summer.
CONTACT Table Mountain National Park
Telephone : 021 701 8692
- GRADING: Moderate to difficult – but not too technical
- DURATION: 1-3 hours
- CONFIGURATION : A circular route with the option to cut your ride short and vise versa if you add/omit "Ou Wapad"
- START POINT: The ground carpark at the entrance at 34º 05' 135" South and 18º 25' 144" East.
You can also drive up – once you’ve entered – to the car park next to Silvermine
Dam – a short distance along the tarred section
- TERRAIN: Mostly gravel road, short duel single track and jeep track along the “ Ou Wapad”
- MAP: 3418 AB-AD - 1:50 000. You can also obtain a map from the CPNP gate
where you enter
- MORE INFORMATION:
- ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: R15.00 currently or a “Wild Card”. You can purchase this from their Offices in
Lakeside, on the way to Cyclelab – between the M3 turn-off and the “Ou Kaapse
Weg” turn-off
- FACILITIES: Semi secure parking. Toilet facilities and a Picnic site next to Silvermine Dam
- BEWARE OF: Watch out for Dogs and Hikers. Tackle the downhills with caution!
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