Greyton Conservation Society

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) is a non-governmental organisation focused on preserving Greyton’s architectural heritage and natural environment. This includes the commonage adjacent to the village and the Greyton Nature Reserve. Registered with Heritage Western Cape, the Greyton Conservation Society works closely with Theewaterskloof’s municipal planning department to create an overlay with existing aesthetic guideline regulations. Greyton Conservation Society invites you to discover Greyton’s gems, which include the Saturday Morning Market and historical walks. The society also champions the area's natural landscape, which is perfect for hiking, MTM and birding. To maintain the natural reserve, the Greyton Conservation Society hosts alien-hacking days to protect the indigenous flora and fauna from invasive plants and trees.

About

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) is a non-governmental organisation that has been dedicated to the conservation of Greyton and Genadendal since 1978.

The organisation focuses on preserving both the area’s architectural heritage and its natural environment, helping to protect the character, history, and biodiversity that make the region unique.

Hiking

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) invites you to join them on one of its leisurely rambles or invigorating hikes.

Rambles:

• Day: Mondays
• Time: 09:00
• Duration: two hours
• Meeting Spot: at the Yellowwood opposite the market

Hikes:

• Days: Thursdays and Sundays
• Time: 07:30
• Meeting spot: at Greyton Lodge
• Duration: three to four hours

With the support of the Greyton Municipality, the Society has reintroduced and clearly marked a network of walking paths for those seeking a gentle stroll, as well as more challenging hiking trails for the energetic and adventurous.

Along these routes, visitors can enjoy spectacular birdlife and sweeping views, as well as the year-round floral displays of the magnificent fynbos. These experiences can be found across the Greyton commonage and Nature Reserve, where the landscape offers beauty and biodiversity at every turn.

What to Bring:

• Comfortable Walking or Hiking Shoes
• Bottled Water
• Sun Hat
• Sunblock

Mountain Biking

Greyton Conservation Society has seen mountain biking activity in and around Greyton and Genadendal grow significantly over the past year.

Thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts, many kilometres of trail have cleared, built and marked.

Greyton and Genadendal are ideal destinations for a mountain biking weekend, offering a variety of routes, stunning scenery, and a range of accommodation options. Even those who prefer a slower pace will find plenty to enjoy in the villages.

Bikes can be hired from Oak & Vigne and High Hopes Bed and Breakfast.

Local riders are always willing to share their knowledge of the trails. For those training or looking to cover longer distances, the district roads provide safe and scenic riding opportunities. For a more relaxed outing with children, the Rockhopper Forest offers fun, accessible riding with minimal elevation.

Several farms in the area also allow cycling on their tracks by prior arrangement.

The region hosts well-known cycling events each year, including the Greyton MTB Classic, Dirtopia MTB Festival, The Greyton Tour, and the Genadendal Mission MTB and Trail Run.

Birding

Greyton Conservation Society recognises Greyton and the Sonderend Valley as outstanding birding areas.

Not only is birding within Greyton village itself rewarding, but the Greyton Nature Reserve also compares favourably with other leading birding destinations in the Overberg, such as the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden and the Caledon Wildflower Garden. The many walking and hiking trails in the area further enhance birding opportunities.

According to the Overberg Birding Route website, “Greyton should be right up there when it comes to top birding destinations.

The Greytown birding checklist includes (but isn’t limited to):

• Buff-spotted Flufftail
• African Rail
• Purple Heron
• African Harrier-hawk
• Martial Eagle
• Diderick Cuckoo
• Klaas’s Cuckoo
• Red-chested Cuckoo
• Paradise Flycatcher
• White Stork
• Black Stork
• African Openbill
• Orange-breasted Sunbird
• Cape Siskin
• Cape Grassbird

Bird enthusiasts are welcome to join the Sonderend Birding Group on their monthly outings to birding spots in the area. The group typically meets on the last Sunday of each month.

For more information, contact Ria Wills:

• Tel: 028 254 9110
• Cell: 083 252 1183
• Email: ria@tcslearning.com

Historic Village Walk

Greyton Historic Society (GCS) recommends the local Village Walk.

Enjoy a journey through the rich heritage of Greyton, where many of the village’s original buildings, homes, and public spaces still stand today. From early church schools and trading stores to historic homes, churches, and working buildings, the route reflects the story of a village shaped by generations of farming, trade, and community life.

As you explore the village, each stop highlights a different part of Greyton’s past, offering insight into its architecture, people, and way of living. This self-guided walk connects the present-day village with its deep historical roots, all within easy walking distance.

Below is a numbered guide to the key points of interest along the route:

1. Library: On the Main Road, as you enter Greyton on the left is the Library, the second oldest building in the town. It was originally a small Anglican Church school for young children.
2. Old Moravian Hall: Next to the library is the Old Moravian Hall.
3. Mays Family Building & Thatched Cottage: Further along Main Road is a double-storey building on the left, once the home of the Mays family and one of the oldest buildings in the village. At the back is a very old thatched cottage that predates the founding of Greyton in 1854. It is a National Heritage building.
4. Post House: On the corner of Main Road and Uitkyk Street, the Post House was originally a trading store and later the village’s first post office. It also included overnight “nagmaalkamers” for churchgoers attending nagmaal.
5. Moravian Church: Looking up Main Road past the Post House is the Moravian Church, formerly the Dutch Reformed Church.
6. Railway House: Located in Ds Botha Street, Railway House was built for SAR&H as a depot for goods transported from Caledon Station. It now houses two galleries.
7. Oak & Vigne Café: A long, low building under the oaks, once used as a school before it moved across the road.
8. Vanilla Café: An upgraded old barn that once served as a wagon maker’s workshop. Travellers and drivers used the loft for sleeping while animals grazed on the commonage.
9. Municipal Offices (former school building): Theewaterskloof municipal offices, formerly the school that replaced the original building now occupied by Oak & Vigne Café.
10. Former School Hostel: A recently restored double-storey building that once served as a school hostel.
11. Blacksmith’s Cottage: A very old cottage that was once the village blacksmith’s home and forge.
12. Oak Street Double-Storey House (No. 22): A historic home where the owner’s grandfather repaired shoes upstairs, and the barn was used as an undertaker’s parlour.
13. Die Gang (No. 8 Justice Street): Once home to the Parel family from 1864, incorporating original outbuildings for livestock. They bred horses that grazed on the commonage.
14. Golden Pond (26 Vigne Lane): A low thatched-roof cottage, said to have been used by Herbert Vigne, founder of Greyton.
15. Vigne Lane Mud-Brick Houses: Original mud-brick homes built between 1860 and 1870.
16. Via’s Deli: Located in the former trading store of H.E. Babst, identifiable by the name on the façade.
17. Village Business Centre: Built in 1925 as the Central Hotel Inn.
18. A.G. Osman & Sons: A long-standing family business, established in Greyton from the 1920s.
19. St Andrew’s Anglican Church: Built in 1904, featuring Genadendal-made window catches. Includes the relocated grave of Herbert Vigne and his wife.
20. Greyton Market Stalls: Erected by the Conservation Society; host a Saturday morning craft and produce market.
21. Dutch Reformed Church: Built in 1964.
22. DRC Hall: Located beyond the tennis courts.
23. Greyton Lodge: A historic building dating back to 1882 that once included jail cells.
24. Restored Sheep Kraal (Skaapkraal): A communal kraal on the commonage with an explanatory plaque.
25. Gobos River Picnic Spot: Greyton’s picnic area along the river.
26. The Lord Pickleby: A B&B that was originally the Belshaw family home, linked to Herbert Vigne through marriage.

Join the Hack

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) invites you to join them on a hack.

• When: First Sunday of every month

The Hack team is always on the lookout for new outcrops of invasive alien plants, often in hard-to-reach areas or places where infestations are small and scattered. These are typically spots that larger teams and agencies may not prioritise. Over time, the Hack has successfully nipped many budding infestations of hakea, black wattle, and pine in the bud.

Hacking combines hard work with good company, and every effort is rewarded with a well-earned tea table set up in the mountains. Volunteers are treated to hot tea and coffee, along with delicious sandwiches prepared by Penny Nesbit, using ingredients generously sponsored by the local grocer and Concordia Cheese.

Hacking is not limited to official hack days, and the wider community often plays an informal role too. Hiking groups, individual hikers, and dog walkers frequently find themselves drawn to remove a stray pine or hakea whenever they are out in the nature reserve or surrounding koppies.

This is your chance to make a real difference!

Contact Andrew on 082 835 2668 or andrewwhite@mweb.co.za for more information.

Youth (YELP)

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) is committed to investing in the community’s youth, recognising them as the future custodians of the area’s rich natural heritage.

In today’s world, time spent in nature is increasingly becoming a novelty for young people who often gravitate towards indoor spaces and digital devices. With this in mind, the society aims to create meaningful opportunities for youth to experience their interdependence with the natural environment, shifting this relationship from something occasional to something essential.

This is an exciting and important time as GCS continues to expand initiatives that strengthen and renew the connection between youth and nature.

At the end of March 2013, GCS, in partnership with ARK (Acts of Random Kindness) and Greyton Transition Town (GTT), embarked on a journey with the Cape Leopard Trust, accompanied by 15 outstanding young people from Greyton, Genadendal, and Bereaville. Over five days, participants hiked through fynbos and riverbeds, explored topics ranging from Cape leopards to composting toilets, shared stories around the campfire, and slept under the stars. READ MORE HERE.

Saturday Morning Market

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) invites you to discover the Saturday Morning Market at the Market Square.

• Time: 10:00 - 12:00

Every Saturday morning, Greyton's Market Square is abuzz with activity, where people flock to buy freshly baked goods, home-grown produce and hand-crafted items made by the Overberg’s market community.

Market History

The Market Square was once used as an “outspan” for churchgoers coming from the outlying farms by wagon or cart once a month for Holy Communion.

The present-day market was started in 1978 by Helen Solomons, Margaret Skeat, and Lorraine Robinson.

Membership

Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) offers membership to those wanting to contribute to protecting and enriching the environment.

• Membership Fee: R50,00

Contact GCS for more information.