Cape Town - One day soon it will be possible to hike, run and partially cycle a circular route through Constantia, Tokai Park, Vlakkenberg and Cecilia Forest in Cape Town.
For the less adventurous, hop on or hop off the trail at any point, walking mostly beneath trees and along streams and crossing few roads.
There are nine inter-leading greenbelt trails in the Constantia Valley, each one taking between 35 to 45 minutes. It’s possible to combine a number of them and the timing for each section. A good place to start is from the Kirstenbosch top gate (Rycroft Gate) and end up at The Arboretum in Tokai Park. If you do the full trail it’s a good plan to have cars parked at each end and to take along a map book and a hiking guide. Here is a rough idea of what you could encounter along the way.
Did you know that there’s an area of Kirstenbosch below Rhodes Drive? From Rycroft Gate walk along Rhodes Drive in the direction of Constantia Nek and after a short distance pass through a pedestrian opening on the lower (left) side of the road.
Keep to security fence and go left on reaching a footbridge before reaching a boardwalk and Spilhaus Avenue. Cross it and go left for a short distance to reach the Klaasenbosch Trail stopping to read the information signboard about the Knysna warbler, which is found in this area. You may also be lucky to see Paradise flycatchers with their glossy green breast and very long bright orange tails.
This section of the Constantia greenbelts is a remnant of natural Afromontane forest and an important vegetation link to Table Mountain, providing a special refuge for fauna and flora in the Constantia Valley.
The footpath passes through an arboretum of indigenous trees and shrubs. They were planted and half of them labelled by the late professor Dr Johan van der Merwe, who was a member of The Friends of the Constantia Valley Greenbelts. These volunteers are to be commended for their work on these green lungs in suburbia. Through lobbying councillors and donations from residents and fundraising from recycling at Constantia Village, they’ve built boardwalks, gabions and paths and cleared alien vegetation.
There are many footpaths here, but the idea is to keep left while descending to reach Hohenhort Avenue.
Cross the road and continue to the Alphen Trail signboard. After a short distance, you reach an open area and a grassy hill, which is a flood-detention dam. Cross this hill, keeping right and going south following a path which leads to Brommersvlei Road.
Cross the road to find the Diep River Trail signboard and follow the path through a flat area to cross a wooden bridge and then continue along the stream before crossing another bridge and ascend to an open area. Go left looking for a rounded granite boulder protruding from the path and with wagon wheel tracks etched into it. Continue, to reach Avenue Beauvais where you go right to reach Rathfelder Avenue with Bel Ombre Meadow signboard on the opposite side.
The oval-shaped meadow is split by a stream, which you cross to ascend slightly to once again reach Rathfelder Avenue, and then turn into Picardie Avenue.
Watch out for an alleyway on the bend of Picardie, which you take to reach Southern Cross Drive. Go left and cross the road and go into Silverhurst Drive. At the end of the road is the board for the Silverhurst Trail and a steep descent to the greenbelt and a waterpoint.
Keep left along this stretch of what was the Old Carriage Road before passing a dam, built in 1790.
Keep left to reach Constantia Main Road. Cross this busy road and continue along the greenbelt before crossing a bridge. Take the dirt Brounger Road to the left and continue along it to reach Spaanschemat River Road and Peddlars On The Bend.
Go left and cross Spaanschemat River Road and pass over a bridge across the river of the same name, followed by another bridge. Look out for a signboard for Spaanschemat River Trail.
Follow a footpath while keeping to the left of the open area. At the far corner, follow a track on the left bank of the river.
Continue for a short distance before reaching a large, open are and a fenced gate opening onto Kreupelbosch Way. But you continue following the path to reach a second open area with willow trees below and oak trees above. Aim for the lower corner, where there is a wooden bridge. Cross this and go immediately left. The path to the right leads to Strawberry Lane.
Follow the footpath and stream, with houses and gardens to the right and the Blue Route, M3, to the left and eventually reaching large pipes and an open area with a wetland. This was formerly Starke Ayres Nursery.
Keep walking parallel to the freeway ascending on a dirt track to reach Firgrove Way, where it crosses the Blue Route. Cross Firgrove Way, and continue walking parallel to the freeway, looking for a large mound to the left, between the path and the freeway.
Just after this, take the path to the right which crosses a wooden bridge across a stream. You have arrived in Tokai Park, marked by a signboard with a map of the area.
From here it’s a short walk to reach Orpen Road, which is a continuation of Spaanschemat River Road.
If you have parked at the Tokai Arboretum, cross Orpen Road and follow the footpath, with Forest Glade housing estate to the left, to reach Tokai Road where you go right to pass the picnic area and the Manor House. Go left to reach the Arboretum and car park.
In the future, it will be possible to continue the hike, through what was a plantation, to join the tar road and the Vlakkenberg Trail. Go right on this clear path to meet and cross Hout Bay Road at Constantia Nek and then continue along the dirt road to reach Cecilia Forest.
From the car park, cross Rhodes Drive and descend Hohenort Avenue before entering a gate on the left.
Continue along this clear path to cross the wooden bridge you will recognise from earlier. From here it is a final uphill path to reach Rycroft Gate.
The local councillor Liz Brunette has initiated a pilot project to allow cyclists to use some of the greenbelts. When Tokai Park re-opens cyclists can continue cycling into the upper reaches of Constantiaberg but they won’t be allowed to use the Vlakkenberg Trail or Cecilia Forest.
l Watkins is the author of Off the Beaten Track.
Karen Watkins, Cape Times