“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.” ~ W.B. Yeats
There is always something beautiful about waking early and heading out the mountains and this past Sunday was no different. Starting slowly and building up our fitness again, we headed out to Constantia where we would hike up to the waterfall in Cecilia Forest.
Another gorgeous blue skied autumn day, as we began to walk I counted my endless blessing starting with the most gorgeous country I live in!
My camera was yet again having issues and as I had decided to leave my rather expensive phone at home (just in case) I couldn’t use that camera but I did manage to capture a few shots when my camera would allow.
The start of the hike on another gorgeous Cape Town day.
Into the forest in the distance is where we were heading.
Autumn leaves resting on a fallen log in the forest. We sat on this log for a while listening to the sound of the running mountain stream next to us.
A beautiful mountain stream in the forest, bubbling down through the rocks.
Walking in the shade of the forest, the air was cool and the scenery just magical! This surely must be home to fairies and mischievous goblins!
We came across this huge big blue gum tree ~ perfect for a tree hug of course!
Vines of trees hanging down across our path, twisted with each other as if in some lovers embrace.
Twisted vines hanging across our path in the forest.
Deep in the forest we came to the most beautiful spot, where no doubt the fairies play ~ the perfect spot for lunch!
The spectacular 18m high Cecilia Forest waterfall. the water was icy and the coolness of the forest beautiful.
Trees growing out at odd angles between the moss-covered wall.
Although the waterfall was slightly more than a trickle of water due to the lack of rain, the beauty of the area was just something magical. I will definitely do this walk again in winter when the water is sure to be gushing down the mountainside because in all the beauty we saw this past weekend, I can only image how much this beauty would be amplified in winter!
From the forest we walked out of the forest and up to the high point of the hike where views unfolded around each corner and with every new set of steps we climbed. The views spanned right across the southern suburbs and as much as I would have loved to have captured the view before us, my camera was not playing nicely (more specifically my batteries) but that just makes this another reason to do this hike again! We headed back to the car somewhat reluctantly after spending time in such a beautiful place. Backpacks off, we took some time out before heading home to enjoy some hot coffee brought along by my clever thinking friends!
The hike was over far too quickly but a new (training) hike beckons soon and before I know it I’ll be back in my playground on the mountain again!
~ All Photos By Me and My Very Temperamental Camera ~
Walking4Air 
May 07, 2013 @ 15:04:40
Love these pics! How difficult was this walk? Would it be suitable for little kids to join? It’s so magical and I’m sure my kids would love it.
May 08, 2013 @ 14:39:35
Hi Shafeeqa, the walk is classed as a fairly easy one (there is uphill and log stairs to walk up to get to the waterfall so depending on fitness levels you will find it easy or more strenuous!) We saw lots of families walking with kids, I guess it would depend on how young your kids are. We did come across a father with two very small kids (not older than 5) who were loving the walk. I would just suggest making sure you take plenty water and or juice for the kids and plenty of snacks for them. It is such a beautiful walk and you can turn around at any point and retrace your way back to the parking lot.
May 09, 2013 @ 22:38:00
Thanks! I’ll definitely take my boys there very soon xx