Fun in Fernkloof

I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Hermanus lately, hiking in the magnificence of the Fernkloof Private Nature Reserve in the mountains behind the town. The geography of the area makes for very localised wind conditions, and while some parts were blowing a hoolie, others were calm and very pleasant for walking along the easy trails that traverse the steep slopes. The views make any short strenuous stretches very well worth the effort, and one can see why this is such a popular retirement/holiday town with so much accessible and unspoilt natural beauty.

Waterfalls tumble in the deep ravines, no longer at their winter peak, but nonetheless a welcome sight and sound, and birds flit in the fynbos, catching your eye with their iridescence and the flight patterns that sometimes make it easier to identify little brown jobs than the actual plumage. An exciting sighting was a gorgeously patterned puffadder sunning itself in the narrow pathway. The steep slopes don't make it easy to deviate from the path and there was a little bit of a standoff; encouragement from a pebble lobbed nearby made Puffy slither slowly and not very enthusiastically a few inches to the left to allow us to pass. It's always a privilege to see these reptiles in the wild, and even better to be able to leave them undisturbed.
A lizard lay lazily on the back of a concrete bench, so perfectly camouflaged that some of us nearly touched him before seeing it was not part of the bench. He posed unconcernedly for the camera.
Far below, whales (for which this coastline is famous) bobbed in the bay, treating us to the occasional breach and accompanying splash just to show us that they can also have fun!