Fairy Glen to Klipspringer and the Plateau

The last day of the holiday and I was determined to let it end on a high. The path I chose was demanding, but rewarding: magnificent views, flowers, birds and this time, even a few Klipspringer buck. As the title suggests, the walk began in Fairy Glen, now becoming quite familiar, but I took a detour towards Klipspringer on a path I had often seen before but was always too lazy to attempt, starting as it does after a steady climb and itself heading straight up a mountain. It led to the little peak of Klipspringer, named after the buck, and where by pure coincidence, I did actually see a couple of Klipspringers! I could hardly believe it! Synchronicity writ large! I could only admire their excellent camouflage and even more their effortless ability to flit from rock to rock down seemingly vertical slopes with not a single false step.

In a spirit of high elation, I soon found myself on a magnificent mountain plateau with plenty of trails, including one leading to the Perdeberg. That will definitely be on the menu for a walk very much in the future, but it looks like quite a stretch and I simply didn’t have the time today. Given all the trails, I was able to construct for myself a figure-of-eight walk, which eventually joined up with the route from Kleinmond to Fairy Glen that I had previously shared with Veronica and Mary. I was back at the car within three hours, feeling fit and strong!

So that’s it! My South African training programme is over, not without its ups and downs, literally and figuratively! The programme has involved me repeating many of the walks many times, which I obviously haven’t posted. There is a limit to your tolerance! But all in all, I have covered about the distance I planned when first I arrived. We fly back to Heathrow tomorrow and then next week, the next phase of my preparation starts. I will be attempting several legs of the Pilgrims’ Way (also known as the North Downs Way), with full pack and rain gear. It will be a severe coming down to Earth after my celestial experience here in the Cape, and the cold and wet will undoubtedly present their own difficulties. Still, it is now less than a month until the start of LEJOG, and although I still don’t feel ready (will I ever?), I actually can’t wait to get started.

By the way, I have been told that some folk who have requested email reminders of the latest posting have not been getting them (I can’t think why they felt deprived!!). It does seem that Gmail in particular has taken a dislike to the automatic emails and is banishing them to its spam catcher. I find this surprising since it is Google itself which has provided the technology to send out the email notices in the first place! Anyway, the answer is to look in your Gmail spam file and if the email is there, move it back to your in-tray. Hopefully, Google will get the message!

This fellow looked awfully glum. I suppose staring at the back of a rock for millennia will do that... He was huge!

A Klipspringer and his mate in silhouette

Alert and not too keen on my intrusion into his domain

Tritoniopsis triticea (perhaps?)

Looking back towards the Kogelberg

Erica something or other (!)

Erica pillansii (we think)

Looking back up to the Klipspringer peak from below

That concludes the walk, but I thought I might include a few snaps taken during our time in SA, for auld lang syne!

Veronica and friend. He looks a bit glum too....

Enjoying coffee at our favourite bistro

Lady of her manor!

Edenly from the sea

And to finish off, inevitably, a last blast of sunsets...........