Wiesenhof Trail - (Wiesenhof NR - Stellenbosch)

This trail which starts and ends at the Wiesenhof waterpark is a lesser known trail in the Stellenbosch area. The walk takes place within the Wiesenhof Nature Reserve which lies a few kilometers towards the North of Stellenbosch and is on the northern slopes of the Simonsberg. The day we attempted the trail was a very wet morning and we didn't have much time to spare so this trail was a good option as its shorter and easier than most of the options in Jonkershoek. The low cloud didn't allow for views of the Simonsberg which naturally along with Kanonkop would appear in the skyline to the South and South East from this area. As for the trail the start takes place on open roads which pass through pine and bluegum plantation before ascending into the nature reserve. The path is on an old jeep track which has become extremely overgrown in some sections with hikers friend (the sharp thorny bush which likes to scratch the legs of hikers in the cape) and sugarbush proteas dominating the landscape. There are a few patches of Renosterveld which is always a welcomed site when doing trails in and around vineyards. The trail ascends to a summit point with a small viewpoint and thereafter it gets extremely overgrown so an option would be to descend down via the same route one took to get to the top. however if you don't mind scratching through high vegetation then you can complete this loop as we did here. On the top views of Stellenbosch opened up and the Helderberg and other hills around Stellenbosch could be spotted. On a clear day, false bay, Table Mountain and other peaks in the distance are likely visable. The descent is straightforward down another overgrown jeep track. At this point the clouds lifted and views of Klapmutskop came into view. Towards the bottom the trail passes what seems to be a traditional African village with huts and a kraal all picturesquely arranged amongst the vineyard hills. The trail then meets the original jeep track in and heads back to the waterpark.

Overall this trail was rewarding but seems to have fallen into disuse as is evident by the overgrown path. I would only recommend this trail if you are up for bushwhacking and are looking for something different, and have done other trails in Stellenbosch (Jonkershoek, Coetzenberg/Stellenbosch Berg, Paradyskloof etc).