Preparing for a Forest Walk

Start with your shoes

If you change only one thing, change your shoes. The forest floor at Diepwalle and Woodville is a mixture of leaf litter, clay and exposed tree root, and it holds moisture for days after rain. Smooth-soled takkies slide on wet clay, and a smooth sole on a damp timber boardwalk is worse still. What you want is a closed shoe with a proper lugged sole and a bit of grip across the ball of the foot — an ordinary pair of trail tekkies is perfectly adequate, and a light hiking boot with ankle support is better if your ankles are inclined to roll.

Wear them in before the walk. A brand-new boot bought on the Friday for a Saturday walk is a blister waiting to happen. Two or three short walks around your neighbourhood are usually enough to soften a shoe and to tell you whether it rubs. And take a moment to look at the sole of whatever you already own: a ten-year-old shoe often has a perfectly good upper and a tread worn smooth as a river stone.

Socks matter more than people expect. A proper walking sock — wool or a synthetic blend, not thin cotton — moves moisture away from the skin and cuts down friction. Cotton holds sweat, and damp skin blisters.

Dress for the forest, not for the car park

The canopy in the Knysna forest is dense enough to hold the temperature several degrees below what you felt when you got out of the car. It also holds humidity. The answer is layers: a light long-sleeved shirt, a fleece or jersey you can tie around your waist, and a rain shell that packs down small. The Garden Route is one of the few parts of South Africa that gets rain in every month of the year, and a shower can arrive with very little notice.

A hat and sunblock still belong in your bag even under trees. Every one of our routes has open sections — the old diggings at Millwood, the gravel approach roads, the clearings — and the UV index on this coast is high enough to burn you in twenty minutes even on a cool winter morning. Long sleeves do more for you than a thin layer of cream applied once at the start.

Walking poles are worth trying if your balance is not what it was. They take load off the knees on descents and they give you two extra points of contact on slippery ground. There is no shame whatsoever in them; half our regular walkers use a pair.

Water, food and medication

Take more water than you think you need — a litre per person for anything over an hour, and closer to two in summer. Cool forest air is deceptive: you dehydrate while walking under trees just as you do in the open, you simply do not notice it as quickly. There is no drinkable tap on most of our routes, so whatever you carry is what you have.

A light snack keeps energy steady. Fruit, a few nuts, a sandwich or a sturdy biscuit is plenty. Keep it simple and keep it in a pocket you can reach without taking your bag off.

If you take chronic medication, bring it with you rather than leaving it in the car, and tell your walk leader what it is. This matters especially for anyone on blood-pressure medication, a diuretic or a blood thinner, all of which change how your body handles heat and minor knocks. If you use an inhaler or carry an EpiPen, it goes in your own pocket and your walking partner should know where.

• Closed shoes with a gripping sole, worn in beforehand
• Walking socks — wool or synthetic, not cotton
• Layers, including a packable rain shell
• Hat, sunblock and, if you wear them, sunglasses
• One to two litres of water and a light snack
• Chronic medication and any emergency medication, on your person
• A charged cellphone and, ideally, a small torch
• Insect repellent between November and March

Read the season before you read the forecast

South Africa's seasons run opposite to the northern hemisphere, and the Garden Route has its own character within them.

Autumn, March to May, is the best walking window we have. The heat has gone, the light through the canopy is beautiful and the tracks are usually firm. If you are choosing one time of year for a first walk, choose this one.

Winter, June to August, gives cold, clear mornings and very quiet trails. Start a little later, at nine rather than seven, and take an extra layer. This is also whale season along the coast, which runs from about June to November, so a Tsitsikamma boardwalk walk in July often comes with southern right whales just offshore.

Spring, September to November, brings new growth, loud birdlife and warming days. It is a lovely time in the forest, and the busiest for our guided groups.

Summer, December to February, is hot and it is the height of the school holidays, when the whole Garden Route fills up. We move our walks to first light in these months and we finish before eleven. Do not attempt a midday walk in January — it is unpleasant and, for an older walker, genuinely risky.

Tell somebody, and check the practicalities

Cellphone reception in the Knysna forests is patchy and in places non-existent, so never rely on being able to phone for help. Tell somebody which route you are walking and roughly when you expect to be back, and stick to it. If you are walking with one of our groups, we do this for you and we count heads at both ends.

Most of our routes fall inside the Garden Route National Park, so there is a daily conservation fee payable at the gate; if you are in the forest more than a few times a year a SANParks Wild Card pays for itself quickly. Gate hours are shorter in winter than in summer, and SANParks may close a section at short notice after a storm or during a period of high fire risk. It is always worth a quick phone call before you drive out.

Finally, if you have not been active for a while, or if you live with a heart condition, diabetes or a joint problem, have a word with your doctor before you start. That is not a formality. It is simply the sensible first step, and every GP practice in Knysna will tell you the same thing. Once that is done, the rest is just a matter of putting on the right shoes and going.

When you are ready, have a look at the Millwood heritage walk , read about what forest walking does for your health , or get in touch and we will find you a date.