A walk in the forest...

My man was going for a mountain bike ride so I decided to join him in the Forest - except I'd be walking and he'd be riding...

I kept up a brisk pace and got up to Level 4 in half an hour and broke out on the edge of the forest looking east towards Silvermine and the False Bay.

 The wind was strong, as seen by the cloud over the mountain and the blowing grass in the foreground

I took this picture because it reminded me of the saying: "You can't see the wood for the trees..."

Alice says you should always hug a tree - this is me attempting it - just so that I can make her happy :)

Helpful plaques ensure the way is clearly marked

The path coming down just below Level 2 (these are names given to the gravel roads in the forest)

Ring barking of exotics to kill the tree

As I came down, at about 6:00pm, the sunlight filtered onto the path, and a perfect shadow of me formed - I couldn't help but take a photo:)

In the lower reaches of the forest, many varieties of trees were planted to see which were commercially viable.  I only found a few labelled, but I'll go back and explore further another time.  The bark of this one caught my eye.

Surface roots  intersect the path

This gracious tree leans to the left

Unusual leaves and an attractive trunk caught my eye...

Cork oak - the cork is used/or was used for wine bottles

I think this is a Pin Oak - it has a lovely spreading nature

Lovely shape

There is a lot of evidence of nature taking it course and tree trunks decaying

The path continues on through interesting trees

Yellowwood tree

The ribbed trunk of this tree fascinated me, because not only was it ribbed, but the bark was almost papery

Close up of the paperlike bark

The elegance of the stance of this tree was delightful - especially the way its trunk widened at the bottom - like the feet of a ballerina

Who lives here?

Gnarled and curly branches

This was a most beautiful multi coloured tree trunk

Close up of the russet shades of the trunk

This little boy was out with his Dad for a walk...

The tea room near the entrance to the Arboretum

On weekends this car park is PACKED with cars of mountain bikers...

The end of a lovely evening's walk