Greyton-McGregor Hiking Trail
Introduction
Easily one of the most popular 2-day trails in the Western Cape, and certainly one of my favourites. For several reasons:
- Its close enough to Cape Town to make for a quick convenient getaway from the city.
- The trail itself is not technical but challenging enough so Monday morning you know you spent two days hiking.
- It starts in one of the prettiest towns in the Cape.
This trail, also known as the ‘Greyton-McGregor trail’ can be done two ways, but my personal favourite is to start and finish in the magical town of Greyton. The late Mike Lundy recommends starting in McGregor and spending the night in Greyton. I suggest doing both.
I recommend finding accommodation in Greyton the night before your first day and booking accommodation with the Oosthuizens on the McGregor side of the mountain pass on night two, or vice versa. We come from Cape Town, so its a shorter drive on the N2 to Greyton.
However, if you are in the Paarl/Worcester/Robertson side of the world, it’s better to start the hike from McGregor.
Greyton
Greyton’s history dates to 1854 when the Hessequas Khoikhoi tribe occupied the plains and ravines near the Gobos River.
Koekson, the tribe’s leader, prospered in the late 1600s by bartering land with the Dutch, relocating his people to Boschmanskloof and building enduring brick houses.
In 1793, Marthinus Theunissen acquired Koekson’s tribal lands, but disputes led to his departure. Subsequent owners included the Cloete family, and Herbert Vigne, an Englishman, purchased Weltevreden in 1846.
Vigne founded Greyton in 1854, naming it after Sir George Grey, the Cape’s Governor. J G Rietz designed the village layout, offering diverse buyers properties with full deeds.
Village life thrived after Herbert Vigne’s 1860s marriage to Elizabeth Belshaw. Economic challenges followed Vigne’s death, yet Greyton’s layout endured, supporting families with narrow plots.
The 1950s saw disruption due to the Group Areas Act, forcing integrated colored families to sell homes. Despite this, Greyton preserved its architectural heritage.
Greyton’s Cape Vernacular architecture remains a draw for visitors seeking a blend of old-world charm and modern amenities. Its enduring popularity as a weekend getaway attests to the town’s timeless appeal.
We booked accommodation in an old converted school boarding house called The Greyton Eco-Lodge, a backpackers managed by the very kind and considerate Janet.
It provided for a more than adequate overnight stay with amenities and ablution facilities. Except for the snoring of some of my roommates, I had no complaints on our first night.
There are of course plenty of other options to spend the night, depending on your budget.
Day 1: Greyton-to-McGregor
We started out a tad later than planned, but I wasn’t too concerned. It was misty morning. My concern is always the heat. I would not ordinarily book this hike in the summer months (Dec-Feb) because its exposed and it’s no fun hiking in the heat.
The original booking was for October but Cape Nature closed the trail until end of November due to the heavy rains we’d had in spring and I had to reschedule. The middle weekend of December was the only time I could squeeze it in, other than to postpone to Autumn 2024, and I didn’t want to wait that long.
One of the negatives was that not everyone on the original hike was able to make it, but no worries, we had a wonderful group that worked together well and supported each other.
We had a few n00bs on their first ever weekend hike, who acquitted themselves excellently, despite the summer heat.
Players
We found beautiful horses roaming around the town as we walked to the trailhead. I wonder who owned them? Regardless, Pippa begged apples off everyone so she could feed them, while Princess Rifi was a lot jumpier than the horses.
The trailhead was approximately 1.5kms from the lodge. At the start of the trail we double-checked we were in the right reserve. Please make sure to follow the yellow footprints.
This is a nature reserve managed by Cape Nature. Please adhere to leave no trace principles and do not pick any flowers or damage/frighten any of the fauna or flora.
The path is easy to follow, even though you have to cross a shallow river by hopping over some stones.
An abandoned jeep track leads the way up the slopes of the Riviersonderend mountain slopes.
I noticed the puddles and erosion from the recent spring floods. On the 4 other occasions I did this trail, this part was dry.
The first 500 metres after the river was pretty muddy and the path was generally more overgrown with tall reeds; even the fynbos was hip height.
The gentle but relentless climb up to Breakfast Rock is the hardest part of Day 1. It may be 3 or 4 kms depending on your sports watch.
But once we got to Breakfast Rock, the mist had burned off, and we could see the magnificent trail before us. We took a longish break to wait for everyone to catch up.
At this point one of our group turned back when her soles (not souls) departed her shoes. Wash-Wash was washed out. She managed to make it back to the lodge on her own, where Janet took her in for the night.
The rest of us continued.
It was 10am when we got to the halfway mark, with a magnificent view of the valley below us and a clump of trees way up high signalling our accommodation for the night.
The sun was out and taking no prisoners.
A bit of downhill and a few climbs, nothing too hectic, took us to the rockpool where we took a 2-hour lunch and swim break.
Its always tough getting going after lunch, what with full bellies and lazy muscles, but up we went, defying the sun before we took our final break before the home stretch, by cooling down in the river while we regrouped.
Just above the river the trail keeps left, although you can go right up a gorge. This path has subsequently been closed, due to rain damage, but even before rain damage, I would not recommend taking this route.
In the afternoon heat, the straight path is a challenge but thankfully short, before reaching a quarry with a relatively flat walk to Die Galq, where we would spend the night.
We encountered a troop of untamed baboons. Please don’t feed them. These baboons are wary of humans and we need to keep them that way.
McGregor
McGregor, nestled in the Western Cape mountains of South Africa, lies approximately 150 km east of Cape Town within Langeberg Municipality’s Ward 5.
Established in 1861 as Lady Grey, McGregor adopted its current name in 1905 in honor of Rev. Andrew McGregor, a longstanding Dutch Reformed Church minister in the Robertson District.
Known for attracting alternative lifestyles, McGregor hosts a Waldorf school with around 167 students. Positioned at one end of the popular Boesmanskloof Trail to Greyton in the south, McGregor is part of the broader Western Cape wine route network.
McGregor is renowned for hosting the annual Poetry in McGregor festival and the Run2Nowhere now renamed Run/Ride McGregor trail running and cycling event.
Die Galq is my go-to accommodation choice on this trail. There are many other options available with the Oosthuizen family, but Ruth Oosthuizen’s stone cottage with its cosy amenities is perfect after a 14 hike over the Riviersonderend mountain range.
According to Mike Lundy’s quintessential guide to ‘Weekend Trails in the Western Cape’, the trail was created as a shortcut between the towns of Greyton and McGregor, a route that would otherwise take 140kms by road.
You can contact Ruth on 072 240 0498 for accommodation.
Please note when booking the trail, you need to secure your overnight accommodation separately as Cape Nature does not provide overnight huts on this trail. In fact, the trail ends on private land, 18 kms outside of the town of McGregor.
Day 2: McGregor - 2 - Greyton
After a well-deserved shower and a meal followed by a good night’s rest, we headed back around 7am on Day 2.
Again, the weather Gods kindly provided us with a cool and misty morning.
The only downside was missing the normally beautiful sunrise. On a clear morning the sunrise from Die Galq is spectacular!
The route to the gorge had been closed and we could see why.
The path had been washed away by the spring floods. When we completed the trail later that afternoon, we met an on-duty ranger out on baboon-patrol, who confirmed to us that the rains had devastated the gorge, washing it away where it crossed the river, which made that option dangerous. I don’t advise anyone to take this option either way.
Day 2 is usually a lot easier than day 1, because most of it, especially after the saddle at the halfway point is mostly downhill.
We reached the end of the trail before lunch and kept the ranger company while we regrouped. Many families and day hikers were out to enjoy the good weather and there were many baboons about.
The ranger entertained us with stories of the history of Greyton and its neighbour Genadendal (another hike for another day!)
Janet kindly allowed us to leave our vehicle at the lodge but also let us have a shower and lunch before we headed home.
I have done this hike before but this time, with the heat, felt a lot harder than the other times. The summer African sun is relentless. I have the sunburn to prove it.
I do enjoy this trail. Its magnificent. Even this time of the year, the fynbos showed off it’s splendour and there were many blooms and colourful lizards about.
However, I do not recommend doing it in summer. Unless you really don’t mind the heat. Personally, this is a much better trail to do in the spring (Sep – Nov) and Autumn (March – May) months. Its also a good trail to do in winter.
Thank you:
To the first-time weekend hikers, CONGRATULATIONS!! You did yourselves proud in challenging conditions!
I do hope you join us on many more adventures in the bush.
Photo creds:
Shaheda
Shamiela
Pippa
Ridah
Rifqah
Wasielah
Slm Gabiba 😊
I was part of the original group and unfortunately couldn’t make it for the rescheduled dates. Reading this has, however, made me feel like I was there. Having major FOMO now. 😬
Sounds amazing and still definitely one for my bucket list InshaAllah. 🥾
Ah man! Next time In Sha Allah!