Beyond Beautiful!

Posted on December 27, 2020 by roncorylus

When Tanja and David suggested meeting us for a hike in the mountains, we chose the Dot’s Dash walk in the Kogelberg, never realising what a treat we were in for. Admittedly, we have always regarded the area as special, but mainly because of the Erica pilansii which flowers so profusely in April. This time there was no E. pilansii, but wow – there was so much more, that I was, and still am, at a loss for words to describe the amazing spectacle which we saw!

We even got a couple of beautiful wild Orchids, Disa cornuta and Acrolophia capensis. The main colour, however, came from the endless displays of Leucospermum oleifolium on the lower slopes of the mountain, whilst further up it was the Erica tenella, Mimetes cucullatus and Aulax cancellata that really wowed us, along with many other species.

Fortunately the weather was really good for walking; overcast and cool, so we were not the only people out enjoying the fynbos and fresh air. Most even wore masks when we approached!

Roellas and more Roellas

Posted on December 19, 2020 by roncorylus

Our walk along the Contour Path above Hermanus Heights was memorable for the thousands of Roellas in bloom over most of the area. They really were spectacular and it was interesting to see the variations in colour on display.

Of course there were many other flowers in bloom and it was good to see how the species change over time. Suddenly there are Tritoniopsis and Thereianthus flowers everywhere, along with some spectacular Harveyas.

To Quark and back – Vogelgat at its Best

Posted on December 16, 2020 by roncorylus

Our last walk of the year was wonderful. Eight Hurriers walked up to Quark and back in the most sublime conditions. The fynbos was quite superb and we even got to see lots of Disa tripetaloides just below Vogel Pool. The slopes along the whole route are covered in Aulax umbellata, all in full flower – a wonderful sight, and there were hundreds of Syncarpha vestita, with their perfect flowers.

We also saw some good birds, including Vereaux’s Eagle and Ground Woodpecker. All and all it was a magnificent walk and it was wonderful to be back in Vogegat after a long absence!

The Palmiet Trail at Nuweberg

Posted on December 8, 2020 by roncorylus

Anyone looking at the accompanying photographs might be forgiven for thinking this is a beautiful trail. It is not. Most of it is along a gravel road and much of this road runs through pine forest. The fynbos is not spectacular, but we did manage to see a few interesting flowers along the way. The best part of the trail, which measures 6.2 km in total is the short section of mountain path leading to the crossing of the Palmiet stream. This was flowing well and the bridge has washed away, so we had to take off our boots and wade through!

Kanonkop and Adder’s Ladder

Posted on December 2, 2020 by roncorylus

Our walk this morning attracted 9 Hurriers and we had a pleasant stroll up Kanonkop, where some of us ventured to the peak. It was a perfect day for walking and we saw many summer flowers before descending Adder’s ladder and back to the Visitors’ Centre.

A large and very relaxed Cape Crag Lizard allowed us to get close to take a photograph or two.