The Bushbuck Trail in the Featherbed Reserve is interesting both for the many varieties of mainly fynbos flora discussed in the following post and for the spectacular seashore when the water rushes in from the Indian Ocean through the narrow gap between The Heads and into the Knysna Lagoon. So let’s look some at the seashore.
Our first view, near the top of the trail, shows where the ocean comes in through the gap in the headlands.
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| Ocean Coming Through Gap in Headlands |
You can see a sandy beach cove about mid-photo on the opposite shore.
And in the following photo you can see a small sandy beach cove on our side of the shore, although there is no discernible path leading down to the cove, nor a marked trail, and so we pass above it.
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| Small, Unreachable Sandy Beach |
It’s a fairly small beach at best anyway.
Along the trail now are several places where the water comes crashing into the shore in a variety of coves of different shapes and sizes. Again, I’m glad we’re above these coves on the trail and not having to contend with the water in them.
At one point there is an arch that has been carved by water action through the stone. My geologic analytical skills are fairly low so I can’t explain this formation although that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of it — nor I hope does it detract from your enjoyment. If anyone has a plausible explanation of this formation, please share it.
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| Arch Cut by Water |
Finally the trail descends to sea level and we’re walking along the shore. Some of the beaches are just made of rocks.
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| Beach of Rocks |
Most of the rocks along here have been smoothed and rounded by the action of the water and other rocks.
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| Smoothed Rocks |
Depending on size these rocks are classified as either pebbles (under 2.5 inches), cobbles (2.5-10.1 inches) or boulders (>10.1 inches).
On other parts of the shore we have sandy beaches.
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| Sandy Beach |
At various places we are walking along the sand or over the rocks. Where we need to cross water coming down from the higher points in the reserve, there are wooden bridges.
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| Wooden Bridge |
At other points there is not enough stable shoreline and our trail becomes an elevated wooden walkway.
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| Elevated Walkway #1 |
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| Elevated Walkway #2 |
Right near the end of the trail there’s even an arched tunnel that has been cut through a cliff that juts out.
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| Arched Tunnel |
Before looking at the flora along the trail (our next post) let’s first enjoy a short video of the action of the water crashing in on the shoreline.
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