• Hiking in the city
You don’t have to drive all the way to the Magaliesberg to hike. Around 30 minutes from Soweto, Roodepoort, Benoni, Alberton and Kempton Park and 15 minutes from Sandton and Eastgate, you’ll find Melville Koppies Nature Reserve and Heritage Site. Come in your family/ friend group and choose your own route with a map provided along one of the many well-maintained paths that crisscross the Koppies. If you were to step on every path you’ll have hiked almost 7km. Walk all around the inside perimeter of the reserve and you’ll add another 2,5km. No one’s done it before. Can it be done in three and a half hours? The paths take you through varied terrain and indigenous vegetation. Steep, rocky inclines will get your heart pumping and challenge your balance, gentle grassland slopes will clear your head, and forested areas by the Westdene Spruit will cool you down. Don’t risk drinking from and cooling off in it – it’s a reminder that you’re hiking in the city. Bring your own snacks and drinks. If lockdown has made those jeans just a little tighter than they were in February, make a Covid-19 resolution to come and hike. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of those whose first hike was on Melville Koppies and now they’ve conquered Everest Base Camp, Machu Pichu and Mount Kilimanjaro. Come and see for yourself but make sure you pre-book and pay (R80 adults and R40 children) for either 11, 18 or 25 October from 8am to 11.30am. For more details, send an email to wendavid@mweb.co.za or phone 011 482 4797.
• Hikers and runners can visit Avianto in Muldersdrift again
Avianto Trails in Muldersdrift opened their gates again for hikers and runners. They offer a variety of trails, and all of them are pet-friendly too. Before visiting them, take note that tickets for the weekends are to be bought online at www.avianto.co.za/avianto-online-trail-tickets but, if you visit them during the week you have to report to the reception to purchase a pass. All trails start at The Clubhouse on the Avianto Lifestyle Estate. Running and walking trails are ideal for a fantastic day out in the countryside. Approximately 5km of scenic routes offer a great exercise option, regardless of your level of fitness. Pets need to be on a leash, and remember the poop scoop. They are situated on Avianto Plot 69, Driefontein Road, Muldersdrift.
• Missing your weekly parkrun?
Sterkfontein Heritage Lodge, 1 Wolf Street, Rant-en-Dal, has the answer for you! If you have a parkrun barcode, you and your friends will be able to access the parkrun route for free. All you need to do is report to reception, show your barcode and you are good to go. All the owner asks of you is to support the restaurant after completing your route. For non-parkrunners and those who would like to visit the lodge for a hike or to cycle, the lodge is also open at a fee of R40 per person.
• Picnic at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden on Malcolm Road, Poortview is now open for picnics, bird watching and photography, walking, hiking and running. The restaurant is also open. The Sisulu Circle, children’s play area, garden gym and drinking fountains are still closed. If you wish to visit the Garden, remember to wear a mask, sanitize at the entrance and ensure social distancing. The group limit is 50 persons. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets online on the webtickets.co.za website to limit physical contact.
• Virtual Garden Day
· The fourth annual Garden Day is on Sunday 11 October. Garden Day is an altruistic movement and its call to action is to ask people to down tools, pop on a flower crown and celebrate their unique green spaces and gardens in every shape and size.
• This year, Garden Day is especially poignant. Over the past few months, South Africans have turned to their green spaces to find solace and balance.
• For the first time this year Garden Day will host its first-ever Virtual Garden Day Gathering with a host of events, including a Q & A session with garden guru Tanya Visser, a flower crown showdown with comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout and radio and television presenter Zoë Brown, garden-inspired gourmet cooking and more via Zoom and Facebook Live.
• It’s free and open to anyone to attend.
Visit Gardenday.co.za/GetInvolved for a handy toolkit to help you plan the perfect virtual celebration, including recipe ideas, downloadable invitations for your virtual celebration, and things to do and make with children in the garden. The final programme for the Virtual Garden Gathering will be released on Gardenday.co.za/Events at the start of October. Catch news, updates, and inspiration at @GardenDaySA on Candide, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Tag your posts with @GardenDaySA and #GardenDaySA to share your green celebration with friends, family, and fellow plant lovers online.
• Creepy Crawlies Walk at Kloofendal Nature Reserve
Join Jonathan Leeming on Saturday, 10 October from 9am to 11am at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Galena Avenue, Kloofendal. Costs for this tour are R90 for adults, R70 for pensioners and R50 for children. For more information, or to make a booking, contact Karin Spottiswoode on 079 693 5608. Bookings can also be made via Quicket. All Covid-19 regulations will be adhered to, and all participants must wear a mask at all times.
• Birdwatching at Kloofendal Nature Reserve
Join Bradwin Adendorff on Sunday, 11 October from 7am to 9am at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Galena Avenue, Kloofendal. Costs for this event are R90 for adults, R70 for pensioners and R50 for children. For more information, or to make a booking, contact Karin Spottiswoode on 079 693 5608. All Covid-19 regulations will be adhered to, and all participants must wear a mask at all times.
• Boere/Country Fees by Ward’s Way
Ward’s Way bied op 10 Oktober ‘n Boere/Country Fees aan by Ward’s Way Venue, 47 Pretoriaweg, Fairleads vanaf 1nm tot 11nm. Eie verversings en koelboks is welkom. Braaigeriewe is beskikbaar vir diegene wat wil braai. Kos is te koop en daar is geen kroeg nie. Kaartjies kos R80 per persoon en vir kinders onder 12 is dit gratis. Drag is semiformeel, geen kortbroeke en plakkies nie. Toegang vereis jou masker en handreiniging. Jeffrey de Bruyn is die gaskunstenaar en daar sal ook verskeie orkeste optree. Vir meer inligting, skakel Meisie Kritzinger by 072 555 9628.
Remember to send notifications of your events to roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za/ northside@caxton.co.za.
