Norscot Koppies Kingfisher Nature Reserve: When TrailTribe Comes Through

This particular weekend was a perfect example of my Discord group, "TrailTribe", not only showing up but also flexing its collective hiking muscles.

Plans... shattered. Rain.....rude. My sanity.....questionable at best. But, as always, when the outdoors tries to play me, I find a way to play back.

Which brings me to... my emergency "Save My Weekend" distress call, Saunterers swooped in and saved Saturday with a last minute De Wildt hike!

And so, Sunday morning rolled around, and I finally got to hit the trails with yet another one of my fellow TrailTribe members, Muhammad. He had advertised a hike on the discord server earlier in the week and to be honest, I wasn’t convinced Sunday wouldn’t drown us all in rain. So, I refused to commit to any elaborate backup plans involving long drives or longer hikes.

This destination? Norscot Koppies Kingfisher Nature Reserve.Trail length? A breezy 4 km. Just what a Hag needed.

But honestly, this hike wasn’t about the trail itself—it was about the takeaway.

Yes, of course the trail was scenic—but it’s nature… so, obviously. Yes, we spotted some new creatures—because if you go outside enough, eventually, something with too many legs will scuttle by. Was it a long hike? Nope. It was a casual stroll through a little pocket of wilderness smack in the middle of suburbia. (Which, by the way, means there is literally no excuse for people not to haul themselves out of bed and onto this trail on a Sunday morning.)

And for those of you who like to “extend” your hikes—just pretend to get lost. Or, if you’re me, actually get lost.

Which brings me to…..

Did I get lost? Of course I did. In a moment of pure genius, I abandoned the straightforward Fourways route in favor of Randburg—because why not introduce some extra chaos into my life? And just as I was feeling smug about my superior navigational skills, Waze cheerfully announced, “You have arrived.”

Except, I had not arrived. I was parked outside someone’s well-manicured front garden.

This is why I always leave 15 minutes early—because I know I’m going to need every single one of those minutes to backtrack from whatever nonsense I’ve managed to get myself into.

Lesson learned? Absolutely not. See you next week for more navigational disasters.

Anyway, I digress...

For me, this hike wasn’t just about the trail—it was about the privilege of meeting one of my TrailTribe members, Muhammad, a Facebook follower from Hiking With a Purpose, and, as I later discovered, yet another TrailTribe member who had stumbled onto this hike via the Discord server.

It’s always nice to put a face to a name…..unless, of course, it’s my face being put to my name.

See, I’m supposed to be an enigma. A faceless entity. A cryptid lurking in the

hiking world, only leaving behind blurry footprints.

Yet here I am, slowly but surely, meeting the very people I’ve been avoiding eye contact with online.

Why? Fantastic question. I’d tell you, but I’m in witness protection. That, or my name is Boris ‘Totally-Not-A-Spy’ Ivanovich. Whichever makes for a better Netflix special.

Now, let’s talk about Muhammad’s elite-level trail skills. This man somehow managed to shepherd the entire group through the hike with the kind of calm, patient energy usually reserved for handling antique porcelain.

He’d politely warn people about potential challenges, casually suggest alternatives, and generally keep everyone wrapped in the metaphorical cotton wool of gentle guidance.

But then came the rock scramble—the climb to stand on the koppie.

"You can try this if you want, it’s totally optional,” he said. “Feel free to wait if you’re not comfortable.”

And with that, every single woman in the group immediately scrambled up those rocks like their lives depended on it.

Why? Because women do what needs to be done. No debate. No hesitation. No excuses. End of discussion.

I could have sworn I saw a flicker of satisfaction—something resembling a proud papa—cross Muhammad’s face.

RATING

AREA

Fourways-ish (or, if you're me, 15 minutes away from Fourways because, again, I got lost).

COST: Free entry

DIFFICULTY

Beginner-friendly and flat as a pancake unless you let Muhammad Jedi-mind-trick you into rock scrambling.

LENGTH: 4 km

TIME 

Depends how you do the trail.

ELEVATION -  Barely to none

MARKERS 

Good enough that normal people won’t get lost

HIGHLIGHTS 

Nature, fresh air, and the ability to disappear into a trail five minutes from people’s driveways.

Oh, and in the heart of suburbia, where the wildest thing you expect to see is an off-leash Yorkie with a superiority complex, who would’ve thought we’d get a perfectly timed, strategically placed buck?

Right on cue, it darted away as we approached, almost as if the reserve had hired it for dramatic effect.

ABLUTIONS

Only about half an hour in by a picnic spot, so plan accordingly.

If you’re one of those people who assumes there will be a loo right at the start and bolts out of the house last-minute with a full bladder… sorry...too specific??

FREE PARKING

Yes, but on the road outside the reserve

AMENITIES 

None that I could see

ON A FINAL NOTE

Norscot Koppies might not be the wildest adventure, but it’s a solid local gem.

(TO)SOLO OR (NO)SOLO

Yes. Why? Because there were no inclines, and, although it was not busy, if you stub a toe on an invisible rock, and scream loud enough, a suburbanite will hear you.  

Just me 'n my Facebook follower @Hiking With a Purpose chilling...