Raising the Bar at Luddite

Our walk at Luddite yesterday was not for the fainthearted!  Carin only had seven takers and only four of us ventured up the mountain in the heat.  It was a walk from hell! – only 5 km and a climb of 400 m but steep and very slippery, with loose gravel on the way down, and we had to stop many times to get our breath back.  Hats off to Audrey who handled it well – more than could be said for yours truly, who felt quite dizzy at times!  Carol and John got through okay and we were all very relieved when it was over!

Back on the farm, Carin presented us with a wonderful early lunch with three delicious quiches and loads of fresh cool salad, washed down with iced water, before Niels presented us with his latest Luddite Chenin – quite a wine with rather strange nose, but wonderful flavours.  Apparently the bouquet wears off with a longer period in the bottle, Niels being reluctant to do what most winemakers apparently do – kill the smell with a dose of Copper Sulphate!

Well done Carin, for challenging us so on your mountain, but really rewarding us for finishing the course!

Our route

Oak Valley Revisited

We walked on one of the cycle tracks at Oak Valley near Grabouw yesterday and were once again treated to a wonderful experience.  The farm has such a wide variety of beautiful environments, alternating between forests, fields and orchards, that one is never bored.  The weather was perfect, being overcast and cool, but the rain held off, so we covered the 10,6 km with ease.  It was good to see 16 walkers attending with a further 4 joining us for lunch at the well appointed Pool Room.  Those who stayed at home missed a great day!

As green as England

On one of the cycle paths

Morning tea stop

Sattyrium coriifolium

Near the end

Our route

Walking on the Fynbos Trail

There were no less than 22 hikers who joined Mags on the first 7 km of the Fynbos Trail today, on the occasion of her birthday!  It was a beautiful walk through a combination of Milkwood forest and lush fynbos. The footing was often quite wet, following the good winter rains and we were treated to a fine variety of interesting plants and good views over Walker Bay and across to Pearly Beach.

Walker Bay

Our Route

In the Milkwood Forest

Mags

Crassula Sp.

Erica coccinea

Satyrium coriifolium

Tea time

The group

Crassula sp.

Psoralea arborea

Family Reunion at Somerset Gift

The whole family got together for a long weekend at Somerset Gift, a beautiful farm getaway outside Swellendam, in the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains.  We occupied three very comfortable cottages and were able to enjoy wonderful mountain walks and all manner of fun and fishing on the lakes.  Wading through the Buffeljags River allowed one to reach the mountains with their forest and fynbos walks and deep dark pools to cool off in.  Many fish were caught and released and we managed to identify around 80 birds in the immediate area.  Given the wonderful camaraderie and plentiful good food and wine, we all had a great time and were able to reaffirm our family ties.