The Pipe Track from Theresa Ave

Date: 16 October 2009

Location: Camps Bay

Walkers: Michele, Helen & Delphi

**** Route plotted here ****

See previous walk on the Pipe Track here.

Instead of starting at Kloof Corner like before we drove down into Camps Bay and left our car on Theresa Avenue. We then made our way up a concrete road to reach the pipe track (the contour path that runs the length of the Twelve Apostles).



These west-facing slopes are usually quite dry, but after our wet, wet winter they were looking extremely lush and green.




And of course, like everywhere this time of year, covered in flowers! Some of the ones we saw here on the lower slopes, and indeed all the way along the walk, were: Lobostemon argenteus, Hebenstretia cordata, Crassula fasciclaris, Lachenalia fistulosa, Moraea tricuspidata and Albuca (I still can't work out how to tell the various varieties apart, or understand why in some reference books this plant is Albuca and in others Ornithogalum).





Some new identifications made: Penaea mucronata.



Geissorhiza juncea.



Athanasia crithmifolia (still in bud).



And Oftia africana. I must make a point to smell this next time I see it as - apparently it has a chocolate-scented fragrance.



Once we joined the path, we turned right and walked on towards our destination, Slangolie Ravine.



The late afternoon sunshine was wonderful.




Here we saw some two new flowers, both Ixias. Pink Ixia scillaris.




And yellow Ixia dubia.




As we got closer to Slangolie the path narrowed, climbed and got rockier.



Up here were a patch of green orchids, Satyrium odorum.



We also saw Silene, in both white and pink.



And Selago corymbosa.



We walked into the ravine, as far as the waterfall, getting rather wet as we passed under it. We then turned back and walked swiftly back and down again before it got dark. Great walk!


(Photos by Helen & Michele)
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