Joseph Baynes Cottage Hike
Written by Nozie Sapepa
On the Sunday morning the instruction was to meet at Southgate Shopping Center by 7am in preparation to take off in a convoy to the destination which is just outside of Richmond town.
It was my first time hiking with the Club and as a new member I felt home with the warm welcome.
We left in a convoy of three cars to the NTC forestry, winding through the forest gravel road, we finally reached the starting point about almost an hour of driving. The weather on the day was cloudy with a temperature of 16 degrees and wind blowing at 4.2km/hr from the East.
A group of 13 hikers started the day in the gum forest, on a wide gravel road gently meandering to the top, while admiring the beauty of the tall trees around us. At around 3km of the gentle climb, those of us who had extra layers of clothing, given the temperature of the day, started shedding off the extra layers. The humidity was recorded at 92%.
A short break was suggested to regroup and catch a breath. Don’t get me wrong, this was a very strong group moving at a high pace. Maybe because I am a tortoise. We then continued still on the open gravel road. A warning voice from the back echoed “ Slow down and take it easy, you are now approaching a steep climb.”
We had now left the gravel road and were now on the forest trails. Indeed steep and slippery trails. We slowed down, not because the climb was tough but we were just admiring the beauty of nature, listening to the birds singing for us and making some discoveries of wild mushrooms, wild berries, unusual trees etc.
On exiting the forest, we still had to climb a few meters before descending towards MADWALENI DAM. This section of the climb was off path, you just had to figure out where is it safe to land your feet. Just before the top we were greeted by a herd of well nourished cattle. One would have hoped that when we reach the cottage there will be a braai. How can I forget the majestic views of Baynesfield that we were blessed with when we reached the top?
We then descended towards the dam. The descent was on an open field with beautiful flowers and some locusts having fun. I hope we did not disturb as we invaded their privacy. As we were carefully descending, there was a strong message that someone’s tummy was longing for a refuel. Obviously that climb did have an effect. On arrival at the dam, it was then agreed that we should have a snack break. Some of us decided to have lunch, though at 9:30am. Blame it on that steep climb.
After the snack break we started another gentle climb to the top. This section was a mixture of trails and off path. We enjoyed taking in fresh air as we trot towards this solid stone structure- a house. It was not just a house. It has a very rich history. This was the JOSEPH BAYNES COTTAGE, built in the 1800s. Our hike leader Hettie asked us to sit down as it was story time. We all listened attentively as she was reading to us the history of Joseph Baynes. Well done Hettie on your research, we are now well informed.
After story telling we continued with our hike in between the gum forest meandering down on the trails while putting into action our jumping skills to avoid walking into water puddles. The forest was therapeutic. We were now headed back to where we started. Along the way we stopped again for the real lunch break. This had a very big effect as I noticed that we were just rolling down. Or was it just the force gravity? Mind you all the way from the start of the hike till the end, the conversations unfortunately did not have snack or lunch breaks.
It was a fabulous day.
A scenic hike.
Most of all a very enjoyable hike.
Till we meet again.
