Dot’s Dash in 2024

On Wednesday I had the privilege of leading a group of eight Hurriers for a hike at Dot’s Dash in the Kolgelberg. We had perfect, cloudy, cool, windless weather which made the day very pleasant for walking. For a couple of people it was their first experience of this wonderful walk, but sadly, the flowers were not at their best, so they were not able to appreciate the true grandeur of the area. Our walk covered only 6.7 kms, but we all knew we had had a hard day by the time we were finished, having just descended the very steep path to Fairy Glen. Those big rock steps really take it out of one’s knees and we were all a bit wobbly

As mentioned the flowers were far from their best, with virtually no Erica pillansii, normally the highlight of the area. We did record a number of other species and some of the Proteas were magnificent, along with many other Ericas. A large Puff Adder on the path just managed to avoid being trodden on by me – we were both relieved to avoid contact! We also saw 4 Ground Woodpeckers and a number of Sunbirds and Sugarbirds, but little else.

Coastal Blooms

A walk along the Hermanus Cliff Path this morning revealed some beautiful local blooms with the sea as their background. These included Haemanthus, March Lilies, Cliff Lilies and Aloes. It is always a great place to walk, and, having the flowers and the sea, really enhanced the occasion.

A Walk in Fernkloof

Gert invited us to join him this morning in a walk over Kanonkop and then down Adder’s Ladder. We have not walked in Fernkloof for some months, following the devastating damage caused by the late September floods and it was gratifying to note the work that has been done to restore the paths that were swept away.

The veld along the Jeep Track was stunning with fields of pink Ericas, however, it was sad to see the amount of damage caused to Protea cynaroides by the baboons, that rip the flower buds apart to get at the odd insects within. On the geological front, the extent of the landslips is amazing and it will take years for the vegetation to recover in these areas.

We were thrilled to put up a pair of the rarely seen Fynbos Buttonquails. We only see these birds on the odd occasions that they may be present near the paths and are, therefore, roused by passing walkers.

A Walk along the Palmiet River with the Hurriers

Our walk this morning took us along the Palmiet River in the Kogelberg Reserve. Eight of us enjoyed the outing in brisk winds, but it was well worth the effort, as the fynbos was particularly beautiful, with masses of Mimetes everywhere. There were also beautiful Gladioli (debilis and cucullatus) but the wind made it impossible to photograph them.

The river was in full spate and it was interesting to see how much higher it has been recently, as evidenced by the high stands of driftwood along its banks. As a result, the path has had to be diverted in a number of places as the old one was destroyed, or unsafe, because of the water.

Spring on the Cliff Path at Hermanus

We could not have chosen a better morning to walk the Cliff Path. It was clear, windless, and there were whales everywhere. A cup of coffee at The Rock completed our walk which started at Kraal Rock and took us 6 kms.

Walking the Kleinmond Contour Path with the Hurriers

We had a fairly good turn out today (12) for our walk along the Contour Path above Kleinmond, and the weather was fine, albeit a bit cold at the start. We only walked 4,8 kms to Fairy Glen, but for some reason it felt like 10!. I guess that fact that David and Ross both had falls (the latter on a steep rocky section, which had us pretty worried) helped to slow us down.

We were impressed with the early Spring flowers, especially the large numbers of Disperis capensis, of which we must have seen over 100 blooms, but a recent fire had erased all the Proteas from the first part of the walk. The last section, however, more than made up for it.

A Walk to Plaaskombuis

Instead of the usual route along the contour path, up Elephant Walk and down through Hamilton Russel, this morning I decided to take a new route up over Kanonkop and then via the Jeep Track to Fernkloof Farm and down to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. It worked out very well and we had an enjoyable 6.8 kms of varied mountain and farm terrain, before arriving at Plaaskombuis, where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and an early lunch.

Walking the Kleinmond Coastal Path

Only six Hurriers enjoyed the outing to Kleinmond yesterday. As we approached the village, we were concerned about the strong wind that buffeted us, but once we were on the path we were quite sheltered and enjoyed a brisk walk from the Harbour to the beach and back again. The recent heavy rains had left the path pretty wet in places, so we had to do some careful stepping to avoid the puddles, streams and mud! We were then quite ready for a snack, so we went into a local cafe and enjoyed a cooked breakfast and a cup of coffee, before returning home.

On the Contour Path

Yesterday only five Hurriers turned out for a 7 km hike along the beautiful Contour Path above Hermanus Heights. The weather was sublime, but, being winter, we walked in the shade for quite a while, causing us to appreciate the sunshine all the more when we moved from the shadow of the mountain. Autumnal Proteas were in flower and we were especially pleased to see many Protea longifolia.

Walking at Almenkerk

On Wednesday we repeated a walk we did last year, when we hiked the 7 km trail at Almenkerk in the Elgin Valley. We were greeted by the smiling and ever-happy Famous, who was on hand on our return with refreshments. Conditions were perfect and we enjoyed the ups and downs through forests, orchards and vineyards. Some chose to take a short cut to the finish – obviously the promise of a chilled glass of wine was to much for them – others took it easy and enjoyed some of the crisp red apples available along the way!

For the birdwatchers, we saw no less than 5 raptors on the outing, African Fish Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, African Harrier-Hawk, Lanner Falcon and even a Booted Eagle!

We finished off with a good lunch at Cheverell’s, a delightful spot with amazing views over the valley, before returning to Hermanus