Constantia greenbelts

Dawn broke amidst a breathtaking display of puffy pink clouds, heralding the cold front bringing rain later, but for the moment allowing us to revel in the beauty of an autumn sunrise in Cape Town. The variety of clouds changed constantly, and here in Kommetjie, right on the edge of the icy Atlantic, a fog soon rolled in to obscure the scene and send all the last-minute crayfishermen buzzing back to shore, nets full of red gold for a weekend feast before the closure of the recreational fishing season till November.
I set off for Constantia to hike through the green belts, and being Good Friday, there was no traffic at all. So much so, that I was able to stop off at Woolies to grab a snack for the hike, and even get a takeaway coffee at Red The Gallery nearby. A far cry from my usual adrenalin-filled drive to get to a hike on time in rush hour traffic!
It was surprisingly warm as we started off, due to the northeaster bringing heat down from the escarpment, and it was very pleasant to reach the tree cover of the Sillery trail. Many trees along the way were displaying their autumn colours, and every breeze sent leaves wafting down around us. We soon reached the muddy puddle that will fill up with winter rains and once again become the oldest dam in the Cape and little Kimba, one of the dogs accompanying us, dived in and immersed himself in mud, glorious mud, wallowing hippo-like before bounding out to rejoin a now nervous bunch of hikers hoping he wouldn't shake himself off! The mud stayed firmly in place and he and the other dogs careered up and down the trail, doing at least twice the distance of 8.5km that we covered.
Cyclists were everywhere, only one ringing a bell in warning, and the jury is still out as to who has right of way on this congested trail - I would think that, being mountain bikes, they can ride up the banks on either side. This is a world-wide bone of contention, and unlikely to be resolved.

As we crossed the hills of Constantia from green belt to road to green belt, the kilometres soon mounted and the many uphills doubtless will counteract the overindulgences likely to be experienced over this Easter weekend! A most enjoyable walk at any time of the year.