Celebrate our natural heritage outdoors at the annual Heritage Day trail run hosted at the historic Neethlingshof Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch on Sunday, 24 September.
Established more than 300 years ago, Neethlingshof Estate boasts some of the best restored and preserved traditional Cape Dutch buildings, leaving visitors with a distinct sense of history and old-world charm.
The run forms part of the TrailFun Holiday Series and is the perfect way to explore the beauty and charm of the farm and surrounding winelands. As a member of the Bottelary Hills Renosterveld Conservancy (BHRC) and a WWF Conservation Champion, Neethlingshof is committed to biodiversity-friendly and regenerative farming practices. Situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve the BHRC serves as a buffer zone to protect and maintain the rich biodiversity of the area.
The critically endangered Renosterveld of which only an estimated 5% remains, is in full bloom. Bulbs and daisies are transforming the green meadows into a sea of colour. The original inhabitants of the Western Cape, the San and Khoi, used Renosterveld plants for food, medicine, and grazing. In the Fynbos biome and specifically the Renosterveld, biodiversity has been compromised by loss of habitat from microbes expected to be present in the soil to pollinators and other fauna responsible for seed distribution.
Show your support to conservation by entering the TrailFun Heritage Day run. Choose between a relaxed run for which you can arrive anytime from 07h00 to 09h00, collect your timing card and start at leisure or join the race start at 07h40 for the 10km and 08h00 for the 5km run. On-the-day-entries from 07h00am to 09h20am for the relaxed run only.
Entries can be done online via https://entries.trailfun.co.za and are R135 for the 5km, R135 for the 10km loop and R165 for the 21km. Juniors can run the 5km for R70. You can add a bottle of Neethlingshof Chenin Blanc valued at R100 for an additional R55 to your entry.
The Bottelary Hills Renosterveld Conservancy (BHRC) was founded in 1992, registered as a NPO in 2008 and is mandated by its constitution to care for, expand and sustain the large tracts of the estimated remaining 1500-hectare Renosterveld in its area that covers approximately 10 000 hectares. Many of the plant species are short or even flat growing and to really appreciate them one must slow down and look.
For more information visit www.bottelaryconservancy.co.za and www.discoverrenosterveld.co.za
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