The eucalyptus trees at Die Galg are just visible on the skyline at the head of the valley, but it’s further than you think!

There are pros and cons to setting off at the crack of dawn. We left Cape Town at 6 am so we could get to Greyton in time to tighten our bootlaces at first light, around 7 am. But now, feeling a little sleep-deprived, we struggle to find the start of the trail.
In our defence, the signboard is a bit confusing: There’s an arrow to the right directing you to Boesmanskloof. And there’s an arrow pointing to the left, which also says Boesmanskloof.
The lefthand option has a P for parking, so we opt for that one. It turns out the two paths join up at the Boesmans­ River.

If you take the right-hand arrow you walk through the town, and if you turn left you take a scenic detour through the Greyton Nature Reserve. We decide on the reserve; although the route is a couple of hundred metres longer, it’s much prettier. Once you cross the river you follow an undulating jeep track up a valley called Wolfkloof. Initially the going is easy, but high on our left we can see the route climbing steeply. Sure enough, at around 2,8 km our calves begin to get a real workout. This is part of an unfinished pass planned to link the two towns in the 1930s, started as part of a public works programme to ease the poverty of the Great Depression. By 1939, however, World War  II had broken out and the funding had dried up, so the road was never completed.
A good thing too, I think, as we climb out of the valley. It would have been a shame to spoil all this with exhaust fumes.
At the 5 km-mark the road reaches a crest. This looks like the ideal spot for a breather. Everybody’s looking a little red in the face at this point, so we’re happy to see a signboard saying “Breakfast Rock”.
I’m carrying the stove, so all eyes are on me as I dig it out of my backpack and get the kettle on.

The route is well marked, so you shouldn’t get lost.

Once our legs are sufficiently rested, we press on. There’s a climb ahead, but the gradient has eased slightly, which means less huffing and puffing and more opportunity to enjoy the views.
Graham, Sally and Rob are off to do the Amatola Trail next month, so they’re treating this trip as a training hike. They’ve loaded their backpacks with everything they’re going to take on the Amatola. Not surprisingly, they’re taking the uphills pretty slowly, but I’m in no rush. The scenery really is gorgeous and I have a new camera to play with.

The Boesmanskloof valley cuts right through the heart of the Riviersonderend Mountains, and it really is beautiful. Way down below on your left you can see the Boesmanskloof River snaking along. Looming above us on the right is Perdekop (1 346 metres).
The smaller sights are equally rewarding. It’s the end of winter and the fynbos is starting to flower. All around me I see bright, almost luminous yellow leucadendrons and the dazzling pink of ericas.
We’re not the only ones enjoying the spring display. You can hear the bees buzzing and I spot several Cape sugarbirds flitting between the proteas. Their long, curved tails seem so heavy as to almost drag them down. So you can imagine our surprise when we stumble upon a clump of hakea bushes, native to Australia and the scourge of the Cape mountains. Left unchecked, they’ll take over the entire mountain­side, suffocate the fyn­bos and make refugees of all the animals and insects associated with it.
I do a quick sum: The permits cost R75 per person. On any given weekend up to 50 people will walk the trail. That’s R3 750 per weekend, or just shy of R200 000 per annum. Surely CapeNature could spend some of the money on chainsaws and loppers?

You’ll need to book well in advance to secure a bed in Eagle’s Nest, Die Galg’s most popular chalet, and a steal at R75 per person per night.

The jeep track ends abruptly at the neck below Perdekop. This is the high point of the slog out of Greyton, and here you say goodbye to the Overberg’s patchwork of wheat and canola fields, and step into a true mountain wilderness.
From this vantage point you can also see right to the top of the Boesmanskloof valley, where a lonely copse of gum trees stands sentry at Die Galg, marking the end of the trail.
It looks closer than it is; we still have about 7 km to go (and that lovely rock pool to look forward to). From here, the path descends steadily from the neck, zigzagging down a series of switchbacks. Avoid the temptation to take short cuts here – going straight down not only causes unnecessary erosion; it’s much harder on your knees.
This part of the hike has some of the finest fynbos of the whole trail, but at times it’s so thick we can hardly follow the path. For the second time that day I find myself wondering what exactly Cape­Nature spends its money on…
But all is forgiven when we get to Oakes’ Falls. Here a stream plunges some 8 m into one of the most magnificent mountain rock pools I’ve ever seen. The water is inky black, stained dark by tannins in the fynbos.
It’s perfectly safe to drink. And swim in! It might only be early spring, but we’re hot and sweaty from all the walking and a refreshing dip is just what the doctor ordered.

The feel of tar under your feet in Greyton is quite a novelty after two days on the trail

From the waterfall the path hugs the right-hand side of the Boesmanskloof River for another few kilometres, before crossing the river and reaching a fork. Once again, we’ve got a choice: To the left, the sign indicates Die Galg via the historic pass. To the right, we can also head for Die Galg,
this time via, oddly, “scenery”. (I thought we’d been enjoying that all along.)
Both options look equally steep but I’m eager to see what the unfinished pass looks like at this end, so we fork left… and find ourselves on one of the world’s biggest Stairmasters. Up and up we go. Rob jokes that it’s probably called the historic pass “because everybody who tries it is history”.
Ha-ha. Gasp, gasp.
But it’s worth it. This section of the unfinished pass is quite something to see. The mountainside here is near vertical and the road is literally cut into the living rock. It looks like a scene from The Lord of the Rings.
Once the path joins the road it levels again, and with the end in sight our pace increases, like horses nearing the stable. Finally we round a bend and those eucalyptus trees we spotted from the other end of the valley come into view, considerably bigger this time.
A few hundred metres and we’re at the cottages. We’ve done it! Well, half-done – tomorrow we walk back to Greyton.
But right now it’s time to kick off our boots and crack open a well-earned beer.

There are long stretches without water, so be sure to fill up your water bottle when the opportunity arises.

The trail is about 14?km long and should take most parties six to eight hours.

I’ve always known it as the Greyton-to-McGregor trail. Turns out I’ve been misinformed. When you ring the Cape­Nature reservations office to book your permit, be sure to ask for it by its official name: the Boesmanskloof Trail.
Names aside, though, there’s no debating that this is one of the most popular hikes in the country. It’s a relatively short 14 km through the Riviersonderend Mountains, which separate the Overberg from the Little Karoo, and there’s a great rock pool to swim in along the way.
Everybody I speak to seems to have done it: colleagues, neighbours, distant relatives, the woman who sells Lotto tickets at the corner café. And it’s said when this was the only route between Greyton and McGregor, the two towns’ rugby teams would take turns jogging the distance to the other town to play a match.
So that’s everybody except me, which is why I willingly sign up for the hike, along with my father Rob and two of his regular hiking buddies, Graham and Sally Kilbey.
Our plan is to overnight at the McGregor end of the trail and retrace our steps the next day. The trail actually ends 15 km outside of McGregor at a place called Die Galg, where there are cottages with comfy beds and hot showers. It’s the logical stopping point for most parties.
We’re booked into one of these cottages for a dirt-cheap R60 each a night. (We find out later that they will also lay on a supply of meat, bread and milk on request, which means you don’t have to carry a heavy pack.)
The big advantage is that you don’t have to play musical cars between the two towns, a good thing considering that Greyton and McGregor are at least a three-hour drive apart.