Walk on the wild side with Highway conservancies – Part 2

EIGHT conservancies in the Highway area have partnered to create A Walk on the Wild Side, an open weekend from Saturday, 27 to Sunday, 28 March that aims to highlight a few of their projects. The project areas are wild habitats that have been restored to – or as close as possible – their original, indigenous condition.

Parking is available on the street verges and each site is open from 8am to 4pm. Visitors can host self-guided walks throughout the day.

Guided walks will be by arrangement on the day. Conservancy staff will be on hand to assist with any questions. The recommended donation is R30 per adult and children under 12 enter for free. All funds raised will be used for conservation projects.

In part two of the two-part series, the Highway Mail will cover four of the eight project areas that are available to visit.

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Hillcrest Conservancy: Creating a natural community corridor along the old railroad reserve

Entry Point: Hillcrest Station, Elangeni Road Hillcrest
Distance: about 1km (generally easy)
Contact Person: George Victor on 073 901 3902

This site is steeped in history and offers a sense of place by walking along the old rail route of 1878 when the line was opened up to Botha’s Hill, which was then a terminus station.

The clearing and rehabilitation of the site, including the grasslands, is relatively new and is part of an initiative to create a walking/running/biking corridor along the railway line that, these days, is only used by the Umgeni Steam Railway. The steam train is also scheduled to run on the weekend of the even and will provide some great photo opportunities for enthusiasts.

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The site also has numerous, very old trees and, for those interested in history, can observe the original cast iron piers of the narrow bridge that spanned the track. There is also interesting train art to be found under the Inanda Road Bridge.

Everton Conservancy: Longshadow Trail – a hidden treasure 

Entry Point: Everton Park, Forrest View Drive
Distance: 3.5km (with some difficult sections. For a shorter, easier walk, visitors can turn around at the halfway mark)
Contact Person: Tony Kee on 082 652 9549

This walk takes visitors through public and private land that is not usually accessible to visitors and also provides a walk through history.

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In 1936 the Grace family bought a considerable amount of land from Mr Acutt who had a farm, Eskotene, close to where Le Domain is today. They built a house, Longshadows, out of the local sandstone and initially used the house as their retreat from the Durban heat. In time, the family moved into the Everton house and, in the 1970s, donated a considerable amount of land to the Natal Parks Board to extend the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve from Kloof Falls road up to Everton. In the early days, up until the 1950s, residents had to get their water from the streams and rivers in Everton. The gentle slope visitors will follow goes down into the gorge and is the path once used to either draw water, or to check on the ram pump. Pictures of the area in the 1930s and 1940s show the area, including the gorge, to be grassland with relatively few trees. The gorge is now totally treed and there is very little grassland left. The walk along the clifftop is through the original grasslands.

Crestholme Conservancy: Polo Club Reserve – a place for all seasons 

Entry Point: 75 to 81 Crestholme Drive, Crestholme
Distance: A variety of walk loops are available. (The shortest and easiest is 800m. The longest is 2.5km and includes difficult, steep sections)
Contact Person: Ross Kramm on 082 897 5555

This is a D’MOSS site that belongs to the eThekwini Municipality and consists of 16ha of riverine forest and endangered KZN Sandstone Sourveld Grassland. The grasslands are very species rich, and the riverine forest is characterised by large Protorhus longifolia (red beech) and Albizia adianthifolia (flat crown) trees

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The Crestholme Conservancy and horse committee was re-established in 2015/16 and has held a number of fundraisers that were used to erect the shelter and develop the picnic site and horse arena. The Conservancy also recently installed a number of bird nest boxes that are each specifically designed for the different species that occupy the forest.

The Municipality’s Working on Fire team have been involved in invasive alien clearing and controlled burns and will be on site to demonstrate their skills.

Monteseel Conservancy – The grassland in the clouds 

Entry Point: Monteseel Park cnr Grand Boulevard and Magdalene Avenue, Monteseel 29°44’17.1”S 30°40’50.5”E
Distance: Trail 1 about 2km (moderate), Trail 2 is about 2km (moderate, but on the cliff edge) and trail 3 is about 3km (easy)
Contact Person: Anne Bruzas on 082 703 6255

This site offers an amazing scenic setting and was described by National Geographic Magazine as one of the Seven Wonders of Southern Africa. It has been moulded by nature right round Monteseel and this vista of panoramic beauty includes views of The Valley of a Thousand Hills.

The Monteseel Park has been created and is maintained by the Monteseel Conservancy and provides access to the stunning views and extensive grasslands.

Monteseel is also home to an iconic and historic cycad – a Giant or Natal Cycad (Encephalartos natalensis). The species is fairly common in the scarp forests of the Upper Highway but this specimen is historic as it is the type specimen for the species and was declared a Provincial Heritage Site in 1951. The original rootstock of this clump is estimated to be between 200 and 1 000 years old and a portion was transferred to Kew Gardens, where it was established as the ‘type specimen’. A ‘type specimen’ is an example that serves to anchor or centralise the defining features of that particular taxon. The cycad walk can’t be offered at this time of year due to overgrowth and dampness.

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