Location:
Garden Castle Wilderness Area, lower southern Drakensberg. This cave is just over 4 km from the Garden Castle entry point, but some 250 metres above it. The most direct access to it is via the old zigzag path off the route to Sleeping Beauty Cave, but the zigzag is the only section of path that still exists into the Cod’s Eye Cave valley itself. While the river clings to the foot of the cliff face on the right, the left-hand side of the valley is steep, rough and covered in mostly dense vegetation which, nearer the river, consists almost entirely of dense, 2-metre high bamboo. Although the cave is situated less than one kilometre from the lower entrance to the valley, this terrain is enormously challenging and progress across it is very slow.
Cod’s Eye Cave can be reached via two other routes, neither of which is easier than the zigzag path option. The first alternative is to climb the steep slope behind Engagement Cave, then to work your way through a scattering of large rocks and maybe even a tunnel, before descending down the very steep slope into the Cod’s Eye Cave valley behind the ridge. This latter slope is even more overgrown than the valley below and requires some exhausting and painfully slow bushwhacking. As a matter of interest, there is another long, low, unnamed cave further down this slope, well past where you would turn left to enter the top end of Cod’s Eye Cave.
The only route to the cave that offers at least a modicum of civility is the one down the gorge at the head of the Cod’s Eye Cave valley from one of the ridges below Wilson’s Pass. The gorge is magical and includes a smaller, tighter version of the Umzimkhulu Pipeline found a little further north in the Garden Castle Wilderness Area. There is some relatively simple clambering to do in winter, but you can expect this route to involve some proper kloofing at the height of the summer rain season. It should be avoided during floods.
GPS Coordinates: WGS 84
S29 44.708 E29 10.753 at 2209 metres (Landlubbers)
Description:
Cod’s Eye Cave is a long overhang formed out of red mudstone and yellow sandstone. There is a long sandstone ledge against the back wall which provides the best and most sheltered sleeping platforms, but there is also a small area of level floor near the top end of the overhang.
Comfort: 3/5
The narrow sleeping platforms on the ledge are fairly level but covered in small, loose stones. Some sections of the ledge have natural stonework which provides some protection when it is windy. However, there are several drips that might be difficult to avoid in summer.
Water: 3/5
The river that tumbles through the gorge passes within 100 metres of the bottom end of the cave, but getting to it involves going to war with the bamboo, which can be sharp and unforgiving.
Pools: 2/5
There are several small pools in the vicinity of the cave, but reaching them also involves working one’s way down through the bamboo along the narrow, overgrown entry path. The gorge-end of the valley is in shade throughout most of the day, so there is no comforting sun to warm you up after an icy plunge.
Shelter: 4/5
The sleeping areas on the ledge are quite sheltered since they are tucked up high against the back wall. The overhang itself is quite deep, so wind-driven rain is only likely to reach the main floor area. The vertically-sided valley walls also help to tame the worst of the wind.
Outlook: 3/5
The cave looks out over the Cod’s Eye Cave valley, which is probably best described as a box canyon, some of whose vertical walls are well over 100 metres high. The view is therefore somewhat constrained, but nonetheless spectacular, and includes several interesting rock formations. See if you can recognise the witch on her pizza delivery bike, or the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz with a little mouse on top of his hat!
Overall Rating: 15/25
History:
Unknown