Monday – Day 1
16:00
Arrive at Heilfontein Lodge (www.heilfontein.co.za), Tesselaarsdal which will also be your base for nights 2, 3 & 4. You will leave your car here and you will be transported to Phillipskop Reserve (www.phillipskop.co.za) where you will spend Night 1 in their simple but comfortable cottages. Depending on the weather, you may want to take a dip in the lovely eco-pool. The owners, Drs Chris & Anna Whitehouse, will give you a fascinating audiovisual presentation on the Cape Floral Kingdom and where Phillipskop fits in this biome. This should enrich your walk the next day, as you will be able to identify some of the plants and animals peculiar to the area. After a hearty locally-sourced meal, it is off to bed early, as the next day’s walk is a cracker!
Tuesday – Day 2: 11.4km
08:00 You set out on the historic Barbers Trail over the Kleinrivier Mountains to Tesselaarsdal and Heilfontein Protea Farm (www.heilfontein.co.za). On the way to the mountain ridge, you will pass the David and Goliath rock stacks and a cave housing recently-discovered rock paintings, which is now a protected historic site. The resident Black Eagles will probably be soaring overhead as you emerge from the cool South side of the mountain and crest the top, to meet the sun. With the steep climb behind you, you can savour the 360 degree views - which embrace the sea from Gansbaai to Stanford and towards the interior, the rolling wheatlands of the Ruens. The village of Tesselaarsdal lies below and the rest of the trail is a gradual descent to Heilfontein Lodge where you will find the Hot Tub ready to soothe your tired limbs. Later in the afternoon, you will be given an informative tour of Heilfontein, which is a cultivated protea farm. Before supper, you will be given a talk on the Barbers Trail and the fascinating history of Tesselaarsdal, which was left to slaves in 1832. Some people call it “the place that apartheid forgot”. Dinner will be a barbeque at Heilfontein Lodge.
Wednesday – Day 3: 10.4km
08:00
You set out from Heilfontein Lodge on an undulating upward climb to Boskop which is the highest point in the middle of the Kleinrivier Mountains. En route, you will pass the homestead of Elandskloof Farm (property of the de Bruyn and Esterhuysen families) and cross the river into pristine montane fynbos. At the top, you will be treated to a different 360-degree view from the previous day, while you enjoy your trail lunch. Thereafter, it’s a gentle rolling descent with the Caledon Rûens stretching out below you, as you return to Heilfontein and the soothing Hot Tub. Later in the afternoon, you will be taken to the neighbouring HerbsAplenty (www.herbs-aplenty.co.za) and SteamPunk Distillery (www.steampunkdistillery.co.za) where you will be shown how flavours are extracted from Fynbos and spirits distilled for gin and whisky. You will also have the opportunity to taste and sample the local spirits and cosmetics.
For the evening you will be transported back in time, to De Poskantoor Restaurant (built in 1897) in nearby Tesselaarsdal, where you will enjoy a local dinner in atmospheric surroundings, prepared by the owners Brendan Daly and Sonia Fourie.
Thursday – Day 4: 6.4km
08:00
This is the easy day and you will be transported to the start of the Trail on the historic farm Sandfontein belonging to the Beukes family, who are some of the larger farm owners in the area. Starting at the old farmhouse, the route runs along a gentle contour between natural Fynbos and the farmland below. On the way, you will see several dams and learn how farmers divide up the precious water between them, in an ingeniously simple way.
After a snack stop at Cappucino Pool, you will finish at a stylishly renovated cottage on the farm Diepgat, owned by the Hauman family. From there, you will be transported to the life-changing Pebbles Project (www.pebblesproject.org), which enables children from farming communities to access quality education programs, health & wellness, nutrition and social work services. All this has been achieved without state funding and it has been operating successfully for some 20 years at 6 locations in the Western Cape. It is an inspiring experience.
After this, you will be transported a short distance to the award-winning Creation Wine Farm (www.creationwines.com) where you will enjoy a snack platter and wine tasting before being transported back to Heilfontein to relax. Dinner will be a whole baked local line fish.
Friday – Day 5: 14km
07:30
It's off to an earlier start, as this is the longest walk. You will be transported to the Southern end of Diepgat farm, where you will start the gentle ascent up the back of Aasvoelskop – the tallest mountain in the area. From the beacon at the top, you will have a commanding view of the Hemel & Aarde Valley and the wide range of farming activities conducted below. Walking in the Fernkloof Reserve (www.fernkloof.org.za), you will descend gradually towards Hermanus, via the unusual wind-shaped rocks of Sculpture Valley. You can pause at a bench to take a team photo with the sea as a backdrop before you descend via a series of switch-backed paths into the river valley and emerge at the Visitor Centre at about 14:00.
Tired but fulfilled, you will be transported back to Heilfontein where you can shower and freshen up, before enjoying a light lunch and heading back, to reach Cape Town safely before nightfall. The walking may be over, but the memories of the experiences should remain forever.
The OTE is 4 nights and 5 days, starting at 16:00 on a Monday afternoon in Tesselaarsdal and ending at 14:00 on Friday afternoon in Hermanus, with transport back to your car in Tesselaarsdal. The distance covered is about 40km, largely through private land, not open to the public.
There will be some wow moments, but there will also be some moments of childlike joy and inner reflection. These experiences we hope to link with good exercise, great food and interesting company - to leave you with lasting memories of achievement and fulfilment. The Trail is all-inclusive of food and drinks ( including local beers, wines, gin and whisky).