M2KB #5: St James Beach Short Multi
Note: the given coordinates are for the nearest parking location
This is the 5th of a series of 10 caches on a wonderful coastal walk along the False Bay coast from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay (M2KB) - or vice-versa. The easiest way to do the whole series is to park at or near either station and get the train back from the other end (see train times here).
Otherwise the caches can be done in groups from and back to a convenient starting/parking place, or individually – several as park ‘n’ grabs.
The caches in the series are:
GC82N4H M2KB #1: Bailey's Cottage Short Multi
GC8349F M2KB #2: St James Walkway - Subway
GC8349J M2KB #3: St James Walkway - The Spring
GC8349J M2KB #4: St James Walkway - Ferocious Bush
GC8349K M2KB #5: St James Beach Short Multi
GC8349M M2KB #6: Danger Beach
GC8349Q M2KB #7: Metro and Mussels
GC8349V M2KB #8: Dalebrook Short Multi
GC8349W M2KB #9: The Old Tea Room?!
GC8349Z M2KB #10: Kalk Bay Short Multi
The cache, a small camo-taped tablet pot is hidden on the edge of this beach. For more information on the walkway including useful tips and links, see GC8349F M2KB #2: St James Walkway - Subway.
To reach the cache location: a) By road: park at the Surfer’s Corner parking area, anywhere conveniently close to the start of the walkway which is @ S 34 6.599 E 18 28.078. Then follow the walkway south to the cache location passing the location of GC82N4H M2KB #1: Bailey's Cottage Short Multi, GC8349F M2KB #2: St James Walkway - Subway, GC8349J M2KB #3: St James Walkway - The Spring and GC8349J M2KB #4: St James Walkway - Ferocious Bush along the way.
b) By rail: take the train to Muizenberg Station, exit the station on the seaward side @ S 34 6.568 E 18 28.087 either directly or via the subway (depending on the direction of arrival) into the Surfer’s Corner parking area then continue as above.
c) If doing individually: park in the car park adjacent to St James Station @ or near S 34 7.162 E 18 27.488, then make your way via the nearby subway onto St James Beach to collect the required info required for the final coordinates.
Step 1 (S 34 07.119 E 18 27.552): as you exit the subway under the railway onto the beach, on the wall to your left is an impressive mural depicting a familiar sea creature. Beneath the 2-word name of this, a size of A0 cm is indicated.
Step 2 (S 34 07.196 E 18 27.485): after walking south along the beach past the bathing huts and onto the grassy area, at this location is a shady tree with a memorial bench dedicated to David Moneron. The first letter of the 3-letter last word on the plaque has an alphanumeric value of B
Step 3 (S 34 07.224 E 18 27.439): here you will find a large St James Walkway sign which displays CD red-bordered boxes.
On the 2nd from the left on the top row, two prohibited items are shown, the first letter of the 3-letter word of the item on the right has an alphanumeric value of E
Note (12/6/21): The sign is missing so use C=1 D=0 E=7
Step 4 (S 34 07.227 E 18 27.442): A few metres away towards the sea is another set of signs. One of these relates to the attached pink Rescue Buoy. At the bottom right of this is a 4-digit Location Number the last digit of which = F
The cache can be found at:
S 34 7.(A-F)BE E 18 27.(D+4)AC
St James was originally part of the ever-extending Kalk Bay, and was thus named as a result of the railway: travellers to the well-known Catholic St James Church would ask to stop at ‘St James’, this eventually became a permanent stop and station. The surrounding suburb and beach were named after the church as well.
The impressive and attractive St James Hotel was originally built in 1897, and served as a hotel until the mid-1980s (see here for details of its history). It is now a Retirement Hotel with frail care facilities.
The whaling industry is a large part of the town’s expansion, as the Bay was largely used by Southern Right Whales for calving, and thus their seasonal habits made whaling easy. By 1855 the whales were hunted to near-extinction, leading to the eventual closing of all the whaling stations along the coastline. Two of the old whaling houses at St James were converted into residences.
Many of the buildings along the road which make up the nostalgic seaside atmosphere date back to the early- to mid-19th century, and are still used as residential properties. Part of the current romantic charm of St James is the original colonial architecture which characterises this seaside village. Most of the homes have merely been modified to withstand the test of time. The area has become a popular holiday spot, with beautiful antique guesthouses and residences all along the coastal stretch.
St James Beach is a small picturesque beach, sheltered from westerly winds, easily identified by its row of colourful Victorian changing boxes which can be spotted across the railway lines from the main road.
It has a large, gently sloping walled tidal pool where both kids and adults can swim and play safely, a small sandy beach, a rocky outcrop with rock pools rich with fascinating sea creatures left by the tide and a grassy lawn area close by. Tome can be spent swimming, collecting shells, exploring the rock formations, or relaxing on the lawn. Refreshments, cafes, and restaurants are all within easy walking distance via subway along the main road.
The beach is not very big so it gets crowded during the peak summer times. At high tide, waves break against the tidal pool wall, so care should be taken if close to the wall when this happens.