Drive Your Own Circle In The Forest

Rooted in Time is a self-drive tour through the Knysna Forest that takes you back to an era when elephants wandered and woodcutters’ axes echoed. Alida Kieser was enthralled.

- Alida Kieser

Most people who visit Knysna only go to the waterfront and the Heads viewpoint, but that’s just a smidgen of the town’s appeal. For me and my husband Robert, the real drawcard is the magical forest that stretches all the way to the mountains on the other side of the N2.

It’s a landscape jam-packed with history and stories, as told by Dalene Matthee in her iconic Knysna novels, Circles in a Forest, The Mulberry Forest, and Fiela’s Child. There’s darkness – elephants hunted to extinction; woodcutters living in hardship – but also hope for the discovery of gold, modern conservation efforts, and the promise of a better tomorrow. Many landmarks in the forest have remained preserved for hundreds of years.

Rooted in Time is a self-drive route that consists of 10 historical sites where you can learn more about the forest. It starts at the Templeman Station (1), about 20km north of Knysna. Park your vehicle at the Ysterhoutrug picnic site and walk next to a section of the old, rusty railway line. The train transported wood, but judging by the photos on the information boards it was also a fun outing for residents of the forest – they sat on chairs on the open wagons. At the end of the path there’s a deck where the railway platform once was.

The train was nicknamed Coffee Pot because the engine’s chimney looked like one, and it ran 30km from Diepwalle to Thesen Island on the Knysna Lagoon from 1907 to 1949. Yellowwood, stinkwood, and ironwood trees were loaded up and taken to the sawmill, and from there to Cape Town and abroad.

These days, Thesen Island is a suburb with luxury apartments and holiday homes.