Best Weekend Hikes: The Bloupunt Hike & Cogmanskloof Hiking Trail

Hikes, Hills & Hot Tea

Montagu, Western Cape

Going To the Mountains Is Like Going Home

John Muir

When Things Go Awry

The Bloupunt and Cogmanskloof hiking trails in Montagu are why mountains exist.

We go to the mountains for many reasons; to escape the rat race, to spend time in nature, to exercise, to meditate, or to simply be outdoors … All the above, plus 100 more, right?

Do we even need a reason? ‘Because it’s there’, someone once said about climbing mountains.

However, sometimes things don’t go the way we plan. On rare occasions, we have one or more unfortunate events. (But I will tell you about my first experience of The Otter Trail 2013 and The Amathole Trail 2014 in another post).

Bloupunt Hiking Trail

This past weekend, 18 – 20 November 2022, I was invited on the The Bloupunt and Cogmanskloof trails in Montague.

The hike was organised by a mate (who we shall call ‘Esteemed Leader’ to protect the innocent) – and who will vehemently object to the mateyness of the word ‘mate’ as used in this context. Nevertheless we (Chucky and I) join Esteemed Leader whenever we can. Which is … a LOT!

We were 24 in all … a largish group of rag tags — all experienced hikers. I’ve hiked with various combinations of them over the years. As always, I had my husband, Constant Companion, AKA Chucky, as well both my besties, BasheeRush and Mambi (the Kurdish Rhino) along for the ride.

And man, did we have a fun ride 🙂

Montagu

Montagu is an oasis 180km west of Cape Town (2.5 hour drive, so well within my weekend away road trip drive zone) in the heart of the Klein (small) Karoo. This time of the year, late spring, the temperatures are warm, averaging 26 C with 53% humidity, according to world weather online.

It was cool when we started the hike Saturday morning just after 6.30am. By the time we started to tackle the climb to the peak, fat rain drops smacked down and a chilly breeze cut right through the warmth of my shell jacket.

I dragged on my poncho. A sour grey cloud threatened from Robertson, a nearby town.

I’m no weatherman but I was not about to get soaked. The poncho was practical but cumbersome. I’ve had this one, made by Red Mountain, over 10 years. But it serves a dual purpose, the tarp-like fabric protects from the rain, but most importantly, serves as a windbreaker.

I looked like Frodo.

Too many times have I given the weather the benefit of the doubt only to be drenched when it was already too late to try to keep dry.

This was a weekend away hike, but we were doing 2 different trails. I had no intention of being uncomfortably wet today. If memory served it was a ways up and a longer ways back down.

Pro Tip: Always carry rain gear. No matter how hot it is when you set out. The weather is temperamental.

Happily, around 11am, the weather’s mood improved. Fat cumulonimbus clouds chased away their grey cousins, bringing heat and humidity.

We left Cape Town just after 3pm Friday afternoon, taking the N1 (National Road… very creative, yes?) to Worcester, where we passed through the marvel-of-Apartheid-era-engineering that is The Huguenot Tunnel.

To this day, that 4km tunnel ride enthrals me, especially as I recall a scene in Independence Day (1996), the Will Smith movie when the aliens fireball a similar tunnel and Vivica Fox’s character and her son have to hide in a small alcove to avoid being flambe’d alive.

I always look out for such alcoves and/or escape routes… just in case you know, aliens…

Also, it reminds me of childhood trips with my aunts, uncles, and cousins to picnic on the banks of the Du Toit’s Kloof river.

The traffic on the N1 is usually more civilised (love you Northern Suburbs) than on the N2, making the road trip more pleasurable. Bonus? Once through the tunnel, you are surrounded by mountains.

Just over a year ago we did the Kromrivier day hike, which is part of the Limietberg Nature Reserve, and starts almost immediately you exit the tunnel on the Worcester side.

The Reunion

24 hikers converged on what would be our base camp, De Bos Backpackers and Camping, for the weekend. (I highly recommend it for camping and/or chaleting. The location is quite stunning, complete with horses and donkeys and plenty of space for the kiddos. Chucky and I intend to bring the kids and grandkids soon.)

Some of us hadn’t seen each other for a while and the meet and greet left me giddy with happiness.

Band of Misfits

Day 1 : Bloupunt Hiking Trail

We set off from base camp at a shockingly (by our standards) early 6.30am. A 1.5 km walk through the tranquil town warmed the legs up nicely for the day’s hike.

Montagu is reminiscent of a bygone era as the town was established during the mid-1800s with many Cape Dutch style buildings, including a Dutch Reformed Church.

We tried not to wake the locals but failed miserably.

We can’t do anything quietly. Especially when confronted by some perfectly innocent but unfortunately named building.

(Click on image to enlarge at your own risk)

Couples Retreat?

We entered the Montagu Nature Reserve, passing the remnants of now-defunct hikers’ huts just before the start of the trail, proper.

Now the only hiker I know who can give BasheeRush a run for her peanut butter is Mambi.

Born in a small village in the Kurdish part of Turkey, my koeksister, Mambi, is half girl, half goat.

She LOVES hills. Her trail-running moniker is ‘Hill Up!’. With these two leading the pack, we were in trouble. No strolling today, boys and girls! They set a brisk pace over the rocky single-track trail.

The most under-rated part of this trail is the start. Within the first kilometre, you meander along a beautiful, babbling brook. The water is clean and fresh and delicious.

I make a point to drink from flowing rivers and streams. (Most of the water in South Africa is clean and drinkable but do not drink from stagnant pools.)

Before long we were going up some ladders and ropes. I had not done the trail since 2012, so I had zero recollection of the finer details. I remembered the peak though.

Ladders and ropes sound exciting but honestly, I would rate the trail easy to moderate.

There are no technical sections and even the switchbacks to the peak are gradual. On a hot day it would be absolute murder, but we were blessed with cloud cover and a cool breeze. The threat of rain when we started to ‘hill up’ fizzled quickly. I was relieved to pack away the poncho.

To amuse myself on the ascent, I ululated (badly apparently!) and yelled the occasional ‘Hill up!’ Only to be answered with Mambi’s “Hill up! Hill up!” in her unique Kurdish accent.

I took several opportunities to inhale the view. The higher I went the less inclined I felt to get to the top. To prolong the ascent, I took time out to snap pics of the shy, sheltering colours flowering along the trail.

The terrain is a dry. Tan and orange rock, sand and dull green brush. But in between, flickers of colour.

The contrast between this trail and last week’s Fynbos Trail on the southern coast could not be more pronounced. No sea of orange pincushion proteas bloomed as far as the horizon.

Instead, the mountain sheltered her hardy flowers like wild secrets. Nature hides her truly beautiful creations. You find their essence residing in a quiet resilience as they endure, survive and thrive in a harsh, often unforgiving climate.

So when I did find spots of colour among the scrub, I appreciated them so much more.

I confess, I did miss The Pun King to capture all the blommies on the berg.

hiking montagu trails western cape south africa bloupunt shehikesalot.com

The Summit

Four hours after leaving base camp, we reached the summit! What a view. In the haze, it looked like a painting. I had to blink a couple of times.

The pictures look like those painted background sets in classic Hollywood westerns. Almost too gorgeous to be real.

Remarkably, from the Bloupunt peak, one can see 5 towns. There is a compass at the top which shows you the name of each town, viz. McGregor, Ashton, Montagu, Robertson and Bonnievale.

Regroup

We waited a bit for the rest of the group to catch up. Mambi and BasheeRush were put in time-out for hiking too fast and were instructed to wait for the rest of the group while our Esteemed Leader and some of the others went ahead to prepare lunch.

Of course, I stayed behind with them out of solidarity. To preserve those fragile male egos, we gave them a good hour’s head start.

Once we started to descend the sun was out and beat us gently down the hill. ‘Hill down’ is not so much fun as ‘hill up’. Thank goodness my trusty hiking pole helped me navigate the rocky descent. It took us an hour and a bit to get to the heavenly, shaded Silverstream waterfall.

An Accident!

The all-male lunch gang had been having a hearty old time without any girls to boss them. When I got there, I could hear Mambi’s laughter echo through the trees. Lunch was served. Chicken salomies with salad.

One of the guys had boiled a pot of tea. We were a big group, and the pot was quite full. It looked delicious and I was ready for a cuppa after my salomi when something went horribly wrong.

I heard a shriek.

There was a crash.

The pot of tea had fallen off the gas stove.

The terrain was pretty unstable with loose stones. One unfortunate move had literally spilt the tea.

For a moment I was sad for the loss of my cuppa, until I realised the scalding hot tea had fallen on the one preparing it.

How he never so much as whimpered I will never know.

Fortunately, being at the waterfall, there was plenty of cool water around, and he was able to submerge his hand and cool part of his leg that had been scalded.

As ‘be prepared’ hikers; we had several first aid kits between us. Our group also included several medical professionals.

It could have been a lot worse.

I am grateful that everyone kept calm and that the patient himself did not panic. I am awed by his composure.

They cooled and dressed the burn with burn shield.

The good news, yes, good news, is that he was in a lot of pain. Why is that the good news? It meant it was only a second-degree burn.

A third-degree burn would have damaged his nerve endings and he would have felt no pain but would have required a trip to the emergency room and perhaps later, a skin graft.

Later, when asked how his hand was, he said, ‘Sore’. Understatement much?

When he jumped into the pool back at base camp later that afternoon, I took it as a good sign.

FIRST AID FOR BURNS

The importance of a first aid kit can never be stressed. Even on day hikes, carry a basic first aid kit. Check it and replenish it regularly. (I am talking to myself first.)

According to St Johns, the following precautions need to be taken for burns:

Don’t breathe, touch or cough near the burned area

Don’t break blisters

Don’t remove clothing stuck on the burned area

Don’t use oily dressings (including butter) on the area (unless u plan to fry an egg on it)

Don’t cover the burn with cotton wool or any fluffy material

Don’t use adhesive (sticky) dressings

Cool the burned area and make sure the patient is not in shock.

Our patient’s composure ensured no-one else lost theirs. For that I will admire him eternally. He must have been in excruciating pain, but he dealt with it like a pro.

By the next day he had redressed the bandage and stopped taking pain killers. This was an even better sign.

He also had not needed to go to the emergency room. Latest news is that the patient is doing well.

End Of Day One

Despite the falling pot of tea, (a fresh pot was made, by the way, so tea was had after all) we finished the hike in good spirits.

We met a tortoise… who knows how old the poor thing was. It appeared cautious at first, but when he/she (I couldn’t tell and did not know where to look) realised we were no threat, he just carried on with his tortoise day and paid us no mind.

In fact, he treated us with just the mildest contempt.

Back at DeBos, we jumped into the pool where The Professor tried to teach Mambi to swim. (An exercise in futility but worth a million laughs.) Suffice to say I will need a new post to explain how she got the name, Kurdish Rhino.

Later we lit the baby hookah while some of the ladies made salad and BasheeRush showed the boys how to light a fire for the braai.

Supper was leg of lamb roasted on hot coals, short ribs and spicy chicken, accompanied by delicious salads.

Good food. Good friends. Gifts.

Day 2 : Cogmanskloof Trail

We set out just before 7am, heading back to the Montagu Nature Reserve to start the Cogmanskloof Trail. This circular route was shorter than yesterday’s but more exciting.

We did a light scramble up the kloof and were rewarded with phenomenal views of the previous day’s hike, including Bloupunt peak.

From Cogmanskloof I could see, after it was pointed out by our Esteemed Leader why the peak we climbed the day before was called Blou (blue) Punt (point). You could see the bluish tinge to the rock, setting it apart from the surrounding peaks.

(Makes a note to google geology of Montagu & Bloupunt peak. This post is too long already!)

We took a few moments to enjoy the first and second look out point.

I felt we peaked too early. I could have stayed on that trail for a long, long time. But it was only 9am and the sun was in no mood to coddle us.

By 11am we were back at De Bos and in the pool again. It was going to be a scorcher.

On our way down the circular Cogmanskloof Trail we passed some rock climbers.

Montagu is a small town with a big heart and great spirit, famous for rock-climbing and other adventure sports. Making mental notes here: Definitely have to add rock-climbing to my bucket list. At least I am tethered to a rope, should I fall.

(Chucky giving me the side-eye when I mentioned ‘rock climbing’).

Good Things and Endings

I loved both days but I enjoyed Day 2 more.

Although shorter, Cogmanskloof was more exciting. And although the views were nowhere near as panoramic as from Bloupunt, they were still pretty sensational.

There are a couple more day hikes I need to do in Montagu. Apparently Badskloof Trail, Aasvoelkraans and Lovers Walk are short but quite beautiful. None require permits.

Perhaps when I come back to do the rock climbing, I will make a point to do those hikes.

Shanaaz (Brownie Queen) prepared a delicious lunch of pasta and meat sauce which we enjoyed along with leftover braai before departing after midday prayers.

I hate to say ‘done and dusted’. It’s dismissive and implies that you have ticked off a bucket list item with no intention of returning. With a hike, I ALWAYS want to return, perhaps in a different season to experience the trail at a different time of year.

So yes, while we completed these trails once again, I hope to be back in these mountains soon-soon! Definitely not waiting another 10 years!

A special thanks to our Esteemed Leader for the planning and organising efforts that go into these hikes. We appreciate your hard work and only tease you because we can’t pull your beard.

To everyone else, I thank you for the laughs and the forever memories. xxx