Red Hill to Scarborough (5/5)

Bridget and I joined a MCSA meet "tramping across the koppies and vlaktes of the Red Hill Plateau at an easy pace" led by Martyn Trainor.

We started from Red Hill at 8.45am, to end at Camel Rock in Scarborough (cars at each end), and the South-easter was pumping hard with low cloud over the land.  Some concern that we had not brought much warm clothing, as it was rather cold.  Happily the cloud lifted after and hour or two, and with the sun shining, the wind chill was reduced.  But not the strength of the wind, and we had to contend with it all day.

The route started on the Kleinplass Dam Trail, but we branched off after a while to head toward Grootkop.

These little plants growing up to about 40 cm were all over the whole day's hike and looked like a buchu but did not have the characteristic buchu crushed-leaf smell.  Later identified it as Agathosma hookeri after googling "agathosma with no fragrance" or something like that!

A very interesting erica was found growing in a scramble between some rocks on the way up Grootkop - Erica halicacaba. The species name means "gooseberry" in Greek and the large flowers apparently have some resemblance to the Cape gooseberry when they are dry and brown.

At the top of Grootkop we had our first sit-down break.

Then we headed down again, towards the Kleinplaas dam.

Geissorhiza tenella (klein langpypie), a delicate little bulbous flower we encountered all day, especially in this area.

The route had now turned off path and bundu bashed over some vlaktes and onto another low ridge with sculpted rock features, towards our tea stop.

Although there was a super balcony ledge looking towards the dam, the wind was unpleasant and we made a tea stop behind some rocks at the end of this ridge.

More cross country walking followed as we went towards Vlooiberg.  Bridget looking good with the Cape Snow (Syncarpha vestita) in full bloom.

Had to lie right down to get the scent of this ground pincushion (leucaospermum).

From far away these syncarpha plants could have been sheep grazing, but were spectacular from close as we started our climb up Vlooiberg.

Touch the beacon and sit down for a while...

Ocean View and Noordhoek beach in the distance.

The route went down the western slopes and onto an old jeep track.

I spotted a shy little tortoise next to the track.

After about 1 km on the track our leader took us off westward towards the sea. This gladiolus was growing in a crack in a rock.

Another plant that was all over the whole day - Lachnaea grandiflora.

We enjoyed a good lunch break on the steep slopes overlooking Misty Cliffs. Roella ciliata flowers.

Need to find out what this is.

A colourful little wetland after turning off the jeep track on the way to Scarborough.

A view of Witsand and the Crayfish factory point with Platberg rising up to the left.

Pseudoselago and Chironia

Magnificent Gladioli on a small rocky ridge that we crossed before descending to Scarborough and the end of a very interesting and enjoyable day.

Vlakkenberg circuit (4/4)

Bridget and I did a late Sunday afternoon hike starting at 4pm from Constantia Nek, over Vlakkenberg, down to the saddle and then on the Bokkemanskloof path to the top of Blue Valley Ave in Hout Bay, and back to the car on Hout Bay pipetrack gravel road.

We parked the car at the Nek, walked down the main road for 200 m and crossed the road to where the trail starts, and headed up through the access path. After we reached the top of the log steps between the vineyards on the left and the Silvermist property on the right, and headed south west on a slightly less steep ascent, we enjoyed this view looking back towards Constantia corner and Orange Kloof.  We had a good sighting of a black kite perching on the very top of a pine tree, having to work hard to balance against the movement from the strong south-easter blowing.

Slightly visible in the above photo, and more noticeable below, were about 7 or 8 cables that had been suspended right across the valley below us on the Silvermist property. Some of them must have had a span of 500 m and construction seemed to be in progress. We debated and decided that it was most likely a new zipline adventure development (subsequently confirmed: http://saforestadventures.co.za/index.php/cape-town-2/cape-town-zipline-tour to be opened apparently on 1 Nov )

From here on the trail runs through lovely fynbos and the flowers are superb at this time of year. We crossed Vlakkenberg and headed down to the saddle on the Hoerikwaggo trail, through dense flowering leucaspermum conocarpodendrun trees, looking across towards the Constantiaberg.

Below, the beautiful marshy area where you cross the saddle.

The Bokkemanskloof path down, new to me, was rather overgrown and wild, but full of interest.

We eventually found a very good position to stop for tea, sheltered from the south-easter and enjoyed the warmth of 6 pm sunshine

The remainder of the downhill went on the right hand side of the stream and indigenous forest.  Further down quite a lot of black wattle was around, with dense stands of slender trees high up on the opposite slopes.

We came down to the residential area and walked down Blue Valley to Fynbos avenue which took us to the gravel road of the Hout Bay pipetrack and a bit of a slog in the fading daylight back to the car at the Nek.

Distance 9km. Climb 400 m. Total time 3h 9m.

Lion's Head (3/3)

It was Lion's Head this Thursday evening.  A Scout event, but with very low turnout (9), probably due to poor prior weather, and the school holidays. I thought that school holidays would be a positive, but only one young scout and his dad were the enthusiastic company from my 2nd Plumstead troop.

Does Lion's Head count as a hike?  It is rather short, and there was no cup of tea ..... but, it's Lion's Head! A significant peak and ascent in Cape Town. And makes the list of National Geographic World's Best Hikes!

 Table Mountain - Kloof Nek corner and the cable station, from the lower section of Lion's Head path.

Signal Hill

Did you spot it?  

Cape Grassbird. Singing non-stop and not prepared to move from his bush next to the path, even though we were only about 2 metres away.

My keen young scout companion Assad.

His father Fatieg, getting back into hiking again!

As Paddy said, you got to touch the beacon to say you've been there!

Significant flora: Chincherinchee (Ornithogalum), brown and blue Salvia, Lobostemon on lower granite terrain.  Blue Moraea on upper sandstone steep slopes.

And that's how the GPS track looks on Google Earth. Stats - Time: 2h32m Distance: 6.68km Climb: 400 m.   It was a leisurely climb with many stops for photos and views, and a slow walk down with traffic delays at the chains 

Table Mountain - MCSA hut and Tranquility Cracks (2/2)

Our son Chris lifted us to Constantia Nek, from where we began our hike at 5pm, taking the trail straight up to the first switchback of the bridle path, and continuing on the steep trail until we joined the concrete road for the last haul up to De Villiers reservoir and  Overseers cottage.

Liparia splendens next to the path.

By the time we reached the Alexandra and Victoria dams, the sun was beginning to get low and the road was in shadow.  We reached the MCSA hut just after sunset.

There were five other people already at the hut, so after introductions and chat we sorted out our living spaces, and then got busy preparing our supper of pasta and tuna with tomato pesto, olives and sliced cucumber.

Next morning it was clearly going to be a warm day but we were not in a hurry. What a pleasure to stand on the terrace and let the frog sounds, bird sounds, insect sounds take over your senses.

After last cup of tea and packing away, we set off with a day pack along the Apostle's path to do a first time visit to Tranquility Cracks. We took the trail past Kasteel's Poort and Woody Ravine and negotiated the scrambling pitch after Slangolie and looked out for a small path to the right after reaching the top of the ridge. Found it without a problem and took the small but clear trail through the fynbos and birdsong for a few minutes and found an entrance to Tranquility Cracks.

I have not yet worked out how to control the amount of flash that the camera emits so most of these pictures are far too exposed - it was actually much darker in there! And many different labyrinths and paths to explore.

Out on the other side!

A lovely spot to have tea!

Back through the cracks!

We got back onto the Apostles' Path and headed back to the MCSA hut. Very hot now!

Once back at the hut it was kettle time and tea brewing.  Bridget took the chance to get a clearer picture of the white/yellow pom pom flowers that we had seen near Alexandra and Victoria reservoirs the previous day, and which were prolific in front of the hut.

We later identified them as Bulbinella nutans.

The route back was past the Overseers house, across and below Hely-Hutchinson dam wall, through Lister's nursery and down the Nursery Ravine. Once we had reached shade a little way down Nursery, we made a stop and then continued on tiring legs the rest of the trail through the zig-zags, the forest and Kirstenbosch to the Rycroft gate.