Lovely safe hike to a rewarding summit worth 6 SOTA points
This summit can be accessed from the Bushbuck Trail which is shown on the Open Topo map, and the trail runs into the activation zone. It is simple to come off the trail and walk right to the summit, as I did.
The trail lies within the private grounds of the Weaver's Roost Resort, a caravan and camping site. It is necessary to sign in at reception and collect a key for the padlocked gate. There was no charge or deposit for the key, and the lady I spoke to at reception (Riette) told me that they have a number of visits from hikers and hiking clubs to access the trail. I felt very welcome and safe here!
I parked my car within the grounds and set off at the start of the trail (signpost above, near the Resort entrance gate, see below for a map that Riette gave me with lots of trail detail, which aligns with the trail shown on the Open Topo map). I walked past a few chalets and then to the padlocked gate which I was asked to re-lock when through.
The trail is very well marked with yellow markers hanging from branches or wrapped around branches.
After 500m or so of level walking I came to a junction, point 6 on the map below, and marked by a large rock with a warthog skull on top:
The trail map (below) suggests a clockwise route to the summit, but Riette mentioned that the right hand trail was less steep and so I chose the right hand fork for my ascent. The trail was generally well worn and easy to follow by means of the yellow markers, but I did find myself lost at one point and in fairly dense thorny thicket. I decided to walk uphill towards a clearing, from where my orientation and the summit direction were clearer and easier to get back on track. The area is fairly open with only low barbed wire fences, so it is possible to walk wherever is required to get to the summit.
The summit is fairly flat and rocky and already has some fence posts that could be used to support an antenna pole. I set up my station in a more open area where a tree offered some shade, and used rocks to hold down the antenna string ends:
I managed 13 SSB QSOs on 40m, 30m and 20m.
Here is the trail sheet provided by the Resort (downlodable PDF to be added soon):
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