Greyton McGregor trail

Nine of us hiked the Boesmanskloof trail from Greyton to McGregor on Thursday 8th January. The youngest in our group was Bridgette at eight, the rest of us were reasonably unfit. We started early ( 6.30am) to make sure we could cover a good chunk of the hike before it got too hot. We breakfasted at Breakfast Rock at about 9.00am.

We walked at a very leisurely pace,stopping to admire views and flowers and sometimes just too chat( 8 ladies!!!).We arrived at Oak Falls at about 12.30pm.We were blessed with several hours of blue skies and hot sun, so even the most unadventureous swam for a long time.There is plenty to do at Oak falls if it is warm and sunny.We explored the river downstream,swam,jumped off the rocks into the pool and generally enjoyed the fantastic setting. It can get quite hot as shade is limited for a large group,we rigged up a sheet to provide extra shade.



After hours of enjoying this beautiful spot ( outright winner as the kids favourite part of the hike) we ambled on at slow pace.Still stopping to admire birds,vistas,rock formations (lions,giant birds!!) and caves from a distance (leopards??).It is a magical hike,while you are in the valley you cannot see any signs of human presence and because numbers of hikers are limited by Cape Nature you are unlikely to see many hikers on the trail.This is especially so during the week ( the trail is always busier over weekends).The air is clean, the sky very blue and the mountains have a spectacular clarity.

We took the rest of the hike at the same slow pace.We then took the shorter route via the historic pass.The climb out of the valley is steep but the path is well maintained.The walk along the original roadworks started in the forties is very interesting as the blasting has exposed the mountain side giving some beautiful geological displays.

We spent the night at Die Galg, but in Eagles Nest, a beautiful stone double storey cottage on the edge of the valley. The swimming pool was an unexpected bonus.We had asked Ruth Osthuisen to buy our groceries and bedding was provided, so we had very little to carry.Best of all is that Andrew had taken his bakkie to Die Galg from Greyton and he hiked to Greyton, giving us the bakkie keys hafway!!
The next morning we had a beautiful drive back to Greyton, stopping for coffee and scones in McGregor and spending time exploring our beautiful Little Karoo cousin village.

Everyone really enjoyed the hike, it was hard enough to give us all a sense of accomplishment at having completed the hike, but not so gruesome that it would have dented our enthusiasm for further hiking adventures.