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 Authors: Peter and Maggie Slingsby
Walks with a Fat Dog isn’t really a book about walking with a dog at all. It’s more about the delights of the less demanding walks that the Cape has to offer. You could take a fat dog on many of these walks, but on just as many others your pooch, fat or slim, will have to stay at home as we take you on more than sixty of our favourite walks. It includes more than 60 descriptions of walks in the Western Cape, with 50 maps and over 500 photographs, with foreword by John Yeld, environmental writer for the Cape Argus. Originally published in the Cape Argus, these entertaining descriptions form an excellent introduction to the fascination of walking in the Cape.
Evelyn Holtzhausen (Spokesperson, Table Mountain National Park), Cape Times: It’s like having a well-informed companion sharing engaging conversation with you as you step lightly from one destination to another." John Yeld Environment Writer, Cape Argus:
Environment Writer, Cape Argus Fat dog, skinny brak, pampered pedigreed pooch, wheezy uncle, chubby mother-in-law, familiar old friends or much loved spouse ... It doesn't matter whom you prefer to walk with, the one companion you really shouldn't leave behind when you set out to explore the glorious diversity of paths and trails waiting for you in the Western Cape is this new guide by Peter and Maggie Slingsby. Peter is without doubt the country's premier cartographer and the proverbial fount of knowledge when it comes to place names, historical anecdotes and natural history snippets. He and Maggie have used this to good effect in their delightfully informal but highly informed text that will amuse, entertain and educate you while helping you find your way safely along one of the many easy walks they describe here. The Fynbos region of our province is truly blessed with not only the most biologically diverse flora in the world in a region of its size, but also many landscapes, vistas and natural features that rank among the most spectacular anywhere on Earth. The beauty of it - pun intended - is that most of them are so easily accessible, and the Slingsbys provide just the right amount of encouragement, motivation and information to get you out there exploring them for yourself. So grab the dog's lead, round up a couple of companions, and get walking!
Forested ravines, massive waterfalls ... from fynbos to karoo Robertson is renowned for its fine wines, race-horses and searing summer heat. It's also got some very fine walking trails, from the back-breaking Arangieskop overnight route to the gentler, but no less impressive, trails in the Pat Busch Nature Reserve. The Langeberg Mountains are distinguished by a series of deep valleys that penetrate up through the foothills to the very base of the peaks. The foothills themselves are rather dry and often almost karoo-like, but the valleys are fertile, well-watered and intensively farmed. There's everything from fruit to vines to olives, and plenty of fruitful exploring up many very pretty little byways for the adventurous traveller. The Pat Busch Reserve lies astride two of these valleys, and it includes forested ravines, massive waterfalls and vegetation from fynbos to karoo with many rare and unusual flowers. Its trails consist of seven or eight interwoven routes; we chose the popular Karin and Hermit's Trails to form an out-and-back walk that, over about three hours, took in some exceptionally beautiful kloof forest, as well as the wide-open mountainside. Although the path is slippery in places it penetrates easily for three km up the Suurlemoen se Houtbos ("Lemontree Forest"). At the base of the forest there are some ancient lemon trees reputed to have been planted by a hermit who lived there goodness knows how many years ago. Like all good legendary hermits he hoarded a fortune in Kruger gold which, try as you might, you will not find. What you will find if you keep your eyes open is a treasure trove of delicate small flowers, lilies and gladioli that grow in the forest clearings. Small birds abound, too, and chubby Rameron pigeons flap about in the tree-tops, pretending to be loeries. After a wondrous succession of pretty forest glades and sparkling mountain pools you'll reach the head of the valley, and the path leaves the kloof. The trail blurbs says that "the trail is quite steep at places", and you're about to discover how steep. Whoever cut this trail spotted the nek high above and simply said, "Right, we'll go that way - straight up." Pondering the wisdom of zigzags, we staggered and scrambled up to the nek. This is clearly a good place to rest, and you are rewarded with spectacular views of the ravines and waterfalls of the Langeberg as the mountain peaks march away into the distance. A left turn takes you onto the Hermit's Trail as it meanders around a flat-topped hill called Tafelberg. The path traverses some fine protea veld where, if you're lucky, you might spot a few vexator proteas, a botanical surprise that was only discovere a few years ago. With the protea veld behind you the path plunges back into the Lemontree Forest. The words "quite steep in places" come back to mind, and your aching knee will dream of gentle zigzags once more. Back at your cottage you'll enjoy a hot shower and a peaceful evening braai or potjie. If you've got another day in hand you could enjoy another hike, or you could do worse than visit some of the many fine wine estates for which the area is famous, Game drives on the Klaas Voogds game reserve or a visit to the Soekershof cactus garden are other opportunities. Route: 9km east of Robertson turn left at the sign, "Klaas Voogds West". 3km up this road turn left to "Bergplaas" Distance from Cape Town: 180km; 2 hours Other attractions: Wine cellars, Bird Paradise, Soekershof Cactus Garden and maze; lots of scenic drives Soekershof Maze: "Primary Unusual Destination" says the pamphlet. "The place where Klaas Voogds, James Bond and Albert Einstein meet." That sets the scene for a truly unusual, if not actually weird, walking experience at Soekershof. "Soekershof" means "Seeker's Garden", and it's one of those rare places where you can enjoy a fine, 90 minute walk on a scant estate of less than two hectares. That's because Soekershof is a maze that asks questions at every turn. It has masses of wrong ways, dead ends that force you back on your tracks, while demanding that you discover its mysterious, primary and unusual destinations. The primary destination on the Soekershof Maze is the grave of Klaas Voogds. Most early colonials were controversial, and Klaas was no exception. Your "weird but passionate" host - as the pamphlet describes him - is Herman van Bon. Herman explains that colonials who disappeared into the undiscovered hinterland of Southern Africa were, by repute, either eaten by lions or squashed by angry elephants. It was an elephant that got our Klaas, and his elusive grave is there in the maze somewhere, hidden by high hedges of very pretty Cape honeysuckle. As the next delight Yvonne de Wit will show you the magic of her cacti. In 2000 Herman and Yvonne discovered the remains of Marthinus Malherbe's cactus garden hidden under dense weeds and grass. The impressive result might not be everyone's idea of a cozy back yard, but its 2400 different cacti and succulents from around the world are certainly worth a visit. The surprises of Soekershof are not all yet revealed. Before you leave, Herman will give each of you a tiny memento - a small wire sculpture of the demise of Klaas, complete with rampant elephant. Each sculpture is in fact a genuine Joey Mussondo original, and if you're not sure who Joey Mussondo is, you'll be able to meet him in person and see some of his giant wire sculptures.
Foreword The Walks Cederberg Day Drives from Cape Town including Cape Winelands Overberg Whale Coast including Fynbos Road Index |
