Water and Blood - A Heritage Walking Tour up the Liesbeek River Trail

Name: Water and Blood - A Heritage Walking Tour up the Liesbeek River Trail
Start: 2025-02-22T14:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-02-22T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Rustenburg Girls Junior School

Schedule

Sat Feb 22 2025 at 02:00 pm to 05:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Rustenburg Girls Junior School | Cape Town, WC

Do you want to explore more, learn more, exercise more, socialise more or feel more of a sense of belonging to your city and country this Summer?
And is there any activity that ticks off all such boxes (and more) as neatly as a weekend heritage walking tour?
We have 15 of these to march through over the next few weeks so best jump on the parade as soon as you can!
Fortunately this weekend we're promoting our most popular and rewarding instalment: a winding gallavant along the natural highway of the Southern Suburbs...
Is this a walk or a hike?
Let's say it's the best of both and not the worst of either...
But this Saturday from 14h00, in a marvellous feat of suburban adventure, we're going to follow the incredibly extant line of Jan van Riebeeck's infamous bitter-almond hedge all the way from the gates of Rustenburg Girls' Junior School in Rondebosch to the Boschenheuwel Arboretum just short of Kirstenbosch Gardens.
This is South Africa's first frontier - the first border-wall that separated the founding Cape Dutch estates from the infinitely beautiful and inhospitable hinterland that we eventually deemed our shared homeland. Along the way, we'll sample the sights and stories of the half-ancient watering-holes that gradually became the independent constituencies of Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont, Wynberg, Bishopscourt and Protea Village.
On this slim strip a hundred histories that still define our nation's character and fame were founded and pushed out across the Flats - from the most densely diverse botanical kingdom on earth to the biggest brewing industry this side of Sydney to the homestead style of architecture that would inspire revivals for hundreds of years to follow.
And on either end you've got a lovely cafe strip and the best free picnic site in the province to look forward to.
Bring your walking shoes, your cameras, your water bottles, your snack baskets and your curiosity, and come enjoy a 3D movie gliding through time and space to the heart of the peninsula.
As always, RSVP for places and pre-book to save R50 each! See you soon!
P.S. If you've read this far I'm guessing you'll want even more of the specs, so here goes:
- We'll be starting by the entrance to Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School in Main Road, Rondebosch at 14h00 on Saturday and Sunday and finishing about 4 to 5 km away in the middle of the Boschenheuwel Arboretum so happily park on either side and organise an Uber carpool if needs be. I’ll be providing lifts back to the starting point anyway.
- We used to be donation-based but to secure our future we're now doing a pre-booking system whereby you can guarantee your tickets beforehand at R120pp, or you can join the tour on the day for R150pp in cash or EFT et al. Simply WhatsApp us on 076 033 8164 or Message us via the buttons on our home page to secure your place.
- This is a consistently well-reviewed heritage-focused walking tour; which is to say that all you'll need to enjoy yourself is curiosity about Cape Town's past (and History in general) and enough stamina to walk just less than 5km in one afternoon (with stops and snacks).
- If you're rejoining us, please please please please please please consider dropping us a short (or extensive) review on our Facebook Reviews or Google Reviews section as it will help spread our gospel of curiosity and playful appreciation across the internet and across the spectrum of all potential visitors to the Cape. It helps us more than you can believe!
- We've also introduced an optional R10 donation on your ticket which will go directly to the NGO Streetscapes as part of our mission to spread love, enthusiasm, mutual support and respect for all of Cape Town's people and histories. Just think how many people we could help and the difference we could make with a few hundred tours!
- Feel absolutely free to spread the word, invite friends who've been looking for this kind of experience and badger us with every imaginable heritage query.
We live for it!
Can't wait to meet ya 🙂