A stroll to the silver trees

The hike from Price Drive above the Groot Constantia vineyards ranks among the less strenuous (because we have already driven halfway up) and rather different trail. Winding through dense bracken and tall grasses, still damp from overnight dew, we soon found ourselves under the canopy of ancient oaks, the thick carpet of leaves masking our footsteps along a small ravine with a stream tumbling down to the dam on the wine farm (no doubt one of the reasons for its establishment originally). Many fallen trees crisscrossed the path, some old and skeletal, others freshly cut by chainsaws to clear the way. This isn't a very well-worn trail, perhaps being a little tame for serious hikers, but the magic of being in a forest, no matter how small, with birds flitting in the branches and bright fungi clinging to decaying logs makes it a very pleasant place to be, and there is no harm in taking it a little easy sometimes.
We climbed steadily up the side of the ravine until we suddenly came to the level of the treetops, and found ourselves in a totally different world - one of the last but apparently flourishing habitats of the beautiful silver tree, leucadendron argenteum. These indigenous beauties have genuinely silver foliage due to the hairy nature of the leaves, which are soft and cool to the touch, and are an endangered species, endemic to a small area of the Cape Peninsula. It is a protected tree and vulnerable to wildfires that have beset the Cape over the last few years and possibly has survived development due to its habitat being higher up on the mountains.
There were numerous flannel bushes along the trail, belonging to the genus of hard-leaved fynbos, and they were also a pleasing enhancement to our observations. Very little else in the way of flowers was on the grassy slopes, apart from a small number of pretty pink ericas lower down, and we had to make do with wonderful views across the vineyards rather than close encounters with nature's beauty.
A very worthwhile walk for forest and views.