Highlands Trail – Kogleberg

Link to detailed route page and map click on route title. Please note the first link is Day 1 of the Highlands trail and the second is for Day 2 .[route-snippet id=”1238″ featured=”image”][route-snippet id=”1240″ featured=”image”]QR codes scan to get to the route on ViewRanger app which can be downloaded as a .GPX file

My Xmas pressie to Mike this year was a trip down to the coast (Kleinmond) to do the Highlands 2 day trail, a DIY slack packing option. First things first, the B&B we stayed at (Whalers Point) was absolutely delightful. A real touch of luxury to enjoy and somewhere I would not hesitate to return to when we next visit this area. Sharon was kind enough to let us drop our overnight kit off the previous evening so we could have a flexible (not early!) start to our hike.

The first day is the longest day at 25km, fortunately mostly downhill, but a 4km section along a soft sandy beach got my glutes working! We parked opposite Iona farm at the trail head and followed jeep tracks across the plateau (previously MTO farmed pine forests) and were surprised at the extent and variety of flowers as we headed down towards the Kleinmond lagoon. Once we crossed the R44 the trail markers dried up which made path selection more challenging, but we found our way and had a lovely lunch at a bird viewing hide on the banks of the lagoon. It is noticeably dry here at the moment as crossing the lagoon to get across to the sand dunes and beach was a totally dry experience, not even a puddle!

We timed our hike along the beach well, purely by chance, as the high tide had just turned so we had firm wet sand to walk along. That was hard enough. There must have been some strong storms out at sea as we saw 2 dead adult seals and a dead penguin washed up on the beach. Very sad.  We also saw some cape otter footprints.

The walk from the end of the lagoon to our B&B, along the Frank Robb Walkway, a well maintained coast path was a real delight and totally unexpected. We topped off the hike with an ice cream when we reached the harbour, well deserved.

Mike was delighted with where I had chosen for us to stay. It is wonderful when you are hot and tired after a hard day hiking to relax in a very comfortable friendly environment. We sat on the balcony enjoying a complimentary glass of sherry and platter of cheese looking out to the bay where we saw some some whale spouts. The whales (Bryde’s whales) apparently don’t come close into the bay but are present all year round.

The next morning after a very healthy (and tasty) fruit breakfast we headed off on day 2 of our slackpacking adventure. We had a nice relaxed start by taking the wooden boardwalk along the coast to the Palmiet campground and then followed the east bank of the Palmiet River up to where it is crossed by the R44. We found a small freshwater spring just past (under) the roadbridge where we wetted our hats and neck scarves before crossing into the Fairy Glen parking area. It was important we got the right trail here as otherwise we would have been heading up Kasteel Kop! Our trail started from the far end of the car park on the right.

There are various ways to reach the Perdeberg and Highlands Trail junction. We chose a route that went through a recently burnt area with a wonderful array of flowers across a plateau below Perderberg on the left and Three Sisters to the right. We took our time going up taking plenty of photos of flowers.

We had decided in advance not to take the detour to Perdebeg peak but instead the right hand trail which is a shorter route back to our starting point. About 10 minutes after the junction we reached the high point of our hike and were afforded magnificent views in all directions especially the breaking surf on the beach we had walked along the previous day. A great spot for our lunch.

From here the trail became less interesting and a bit more of a slog along a jeep track. Fortunately it was not too hot and we had a bit of a cooling breeze. We were happy to reach our car, and decided to treat ourselves to a wine tasting at Iona farm opposite the trail head. I must say the lady who ran our wine tasting was very informative and happy to serve us even though we were rather dusty and smelly after a hot day hiking! Needless to say we bought a couple of cases!

That evening we had a brai at Whaler’s Point which we organised through Sharron. Outstanding toasting our hike with some bubbles just as the sun set on the horizon.

In planning the hike it was very helpful to have a a copy of Mike Lundy’s trail description (Weekend Trails in the Western Cape). See below for a compilation of the flowers we saw along our route. Have tried to name as many as possible but some defeated me!