On the top pitch of Kasteels Gully, a C-grade route on the Twelve Apostles.
Also known as Cups & Saucers (because of oddly-shaped rock that resembles this), the route leads up Kasteels Buttress, providing some tricky and exposed scrambling that makes the use of a rope advisable. It was opened in 1912 by K. Cameron and party and ranks as one of the best C-grade scrambles on the Twelve Apostles.
The route follows a shallow gully on the north side of Kasteels Buttress, hence the route’s name. ‘Kasteel’ is an Afrikaans and Dutch word meaning ‘castle’ – and one can assume that the buttress got its name from the Twelve Apostles’ earlier name, Kasteelsberge (Castle Mountains), because of their resemblance to the battlements or parapet of a castle.
Kasteels Gully is one of many delightful hikes and scrambles on the Twelve Apostles offered by Hike Table Mountain as a route option. If you’re adventurous and have a fairly good head for heights, you will most enjoy hiking on Table Mountain when it involves some scrambling along the way.
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