A Winter Walking Weekend to hit St Francis

Training for a long-distance walk?  Searching for a reason to stay fit during winter?  Looking for a reason to visit St Francis in Winter?  Why not join the inaugural St Francis Walking Weekend from 4 – 6 July 2025.

Walking comes highly recommended by medical practitioners to people of all ages and fitness levels.   It’s proven to be beneficial to many serious and less serious medical conditions as well as to mental health. Spending time in nature also gets the creative juices flowing – all good reasons to join in the fun.

Three distances will be walked on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday morning.  It is not a race, there will be no winners but to ensure safety, you will have to finish before a certain time.

On Friday 4 July between 16h00 and 18h00 walkers can enjoy a circular 5km walk from Port St Francis along sections of the Two Harbours Walk and the streets of Santareme.  Number collection will be from 15h00 at the Chokka Block, Port St Francis.  The entry fee is R50 and route briefing will be at 15h45.

On Saturday morning walkers will walk from Jeffreys Bay to St Francis Bay.  The 18km route starts at the Albatros Parking area in Akasia St, Jeffreys Bay, following the coastline all the way to the Kromme Mouth where the river crossing will be done by dedicated barges, taking you to Big Time Taverna on the St Francis canals, the finish line.

Shuttles can be privately organised through JBay Cabs (083 6111 003) or Simpiwe’s Shuttles (083 957 1331).  

Number collection will be from 07h00, the briefing is at 07h15 and walkers can set off at 07h30.   Your allocated time to finish is 12h30 (try and beat the tide!).  Please note there will be no water points along the way, and walkers must be self-sufficient.  The entry fee is R250 which includes the river crossing.

On Sunday morning walkers will enjoy a 14km figure 8 walk starting at the Cape St Francis Resort, following the shoreline past Shark Point and into the nature reserve, coming back to the Full Stop Restaurant from where you will walk down to Sunset Rock, turn west to the Seal Point Lighthouse following the shoreline all the way again to the Cape St Francis Resort.  Time allocated is 08h00 – 12h00.  Number collection will be from 07h00 and briefing at 07h45.  The entry fee is R140.

Enjoy a finishers brunch at the Cape St Francis Resort.

All routes will be available on Strava and will also be well marked.  Roaming marshals and Traffic Officials will be on the route.

Online entries will be open from 1 May 2025 on EntryNinja.

To those interested in educational walks and talks, Harry Bateman will offer a few Strandlopers Experience Walks over the weekend.

The Blowhole walk (5km, 4 hours) covers the wild side coastline from sunset rock and explores the Strandlopers dependence of ocean resources for 165000 years, the shipwreck history, and medicinal plants with an opportunity to picnic at the blowhole while resting.  The Flower Reserve Walk (6km, 3 hours) explores the incredible biodiversity of the largest floral kingdom in the world while showcasing the shipwreck memorial and Seal Point Lighthouse.  The Shark Point (4 hours, 5km) walk focuses on a tool factory, middens, fish traps, edible landscapes and more.

Walks are suited for all ages and done slowly.  The rate is R300pp and bookings can be made directly with Harry Bateman on 0826240124.

On Saturday afternoon you can join a special Walkers Americano Paddle Tournament at The River Club at a special rate.  

Participating partners will also offer special rates for deep sea fishing, whale watching tours, canal and river cruises, a visit to the Seal Point Lighthouse, and a calamari tasting as part of a special package for the weekend, organised by St Francis Tourism.   For information on all of this, contact Hantie van der Westhuizen on [email protected] or 042 294 0076.

The St Francis Walking Weekend is organised by St Francis Sport, hosted by the Cape St Francis Resort and the beneficiary is St Francis Tourism.