The longest alternative is a two-day hike via Nooitgedacht, which first climbs up towards Vensterbank and then begins a rollercoaster of neks and valleys for the remainder of the 13km. The first half skirts the base of the Langeberg, heading back towards Swellendam. The fynbos on this section also makes the long hike worthwhile. If you took the Kruispad shortcut, you could do this path on the same day without too much effort. Goedgeloof and Nooitgedacht are smaller stone shepherd huts.
All huts have bunks and mattresses, cooking areas, long-drop ablutions and outside taps.
An excellent map is available. Gansbaai to Betty's Bay Start at the Western end of Gansbaai, known as Die Kelders, and hike along the beach across Walker Bay towards the mouth of Hermanus Lagoon. This should take you till the evening, unless you made a really early start from Cape Town. You can either camp at a campsite or holiday house in Hermanus, or risk a large fine and unpleasant awakening by sleeping on the beach or the shores of the lagoon. Not really worth it.