We really did have a lie-in today - no alarm call and an 11am departure. That was the good news; the bad news was that it was raining. We got our wet weather gear on and did the 5-minute walk to the dock where we would get the boat to the Featherbed Nature Reserve.
Knysna is a coastal town on the Garden Route and our hotel was right next to the marina with its restaurants and shops. It is situated on a lagoon (although strictly speaking it's an inlet or estuary as it does have a narrow entry channel to the sea.)
We were on the boat for about an hour and, after disembarking we walked up to the restaurant where we would be having lunch. We were then taken by tractor bus up the hill through the reserve whilst we enjoyed spectacular views. We had the option to walk the steep slope back to the restaurant or go back on the tractor. As it had been raining and the path was likely to be slippery, Sylvia asked us to think carefully whether we wanted to walk. About half of the group did the walk. We didn't, but we did enjoy a flat walk along the coastal path.
Lunch was another buffet with an excellent choice of options. After lunch we returned to base by boat and were able to do what we wanted for the rest of the day.
The terminus of the 3ft 6ins (so-called Cape Gauge) line from George to Knysna. Deemed by the Government to be unaffordable to repair after serious storm damage, but enthusiasts are now looking to restore it as a heritage line
