Physical Address
Pearly Beach
Western Cape
7220
There’s a mountain that rises steeply behind Groeneweide Farm near Franskraal, just outside Gansbaai. Most people know the farm for its weekly Parkrun – runners and walkers gathering early on Saturday mornings among the fields and coastal fynbos. But if you look up behind the farm, your eyes are drawn to the rugged ridge that forms part of the Franskraalberg.
Recently, those slopes were scarred by fire.
The fires that swept through the Gansbaai and Grootbos area burned across these hills, leaving large stretches of blackened earth. For a few weeks afterwards the mountain looked stark and wounded. But fynbos has its own rhythms, and already the landscape is changing again.
I decided to climb.
Starting from near Groeneweide Farm, I headed toward the lower slopes and began following one of the small rills that run down the mountainside. These shallow channels, carved by winter rainwater, offer a natural route upward through the steep terrain. Moving slowly and carefully, I made sure to avoid stepping on the delicate new growth pushing through the ash. The recovery has already begun: small green shoots emerging where the fire passed only recently.
The hike itself is short but rewarding.
The ascent took just under an hour, winding steadily upward along the rocky line of the rill. Along the way the views opened wider with every step. Behind me the patchwork of farmland spread out toward the sea, while the coastline curved gently past Franskraal and toward the open Atlantic.
I filmed much of the climb using a GoPro Max in 360 degrees, hoping to capture the sense of space and elevation that you feel on the mountainside. The perspective from above is remarkable: a quiet corner of the Overberg where farmland, fynbos, mountains and ocean all meet.
At the top, the reward is the view.
From the crest of the Franskraalberg ridge, the landscape stretches in every direction. The Walker Bay coastline glimmers in the distance, Gansbaai lies below, and the Grootbos hills roll away inland. From this vantage point you can see how the fires moved across the terrain – and how quickly the land is beginning to heal.
Fynbos is built for fire. Within weeks, life returns.
Standing there, with the wind coming off the ocean and the slopes slowly turning green again, it’s impossible not to feel a sense of resilience in the landscape.
And the best part? This small adventure lies just behind a place many people already visit every week for Parkrun.
Sometimes the mountains are closer than we think.
📍 Location: Franskraal / Gansbaai, Western Cape, South Africa
⛰ Mountain: Franskraalberg
🎥 Filmed on: GoPro Max 360
