Thanks to it being positioned alongside the busy R44 artery between Somerset West and Stellenbosch, the tranquil looking Poinsettia Park isn’t quite as quiet and peaceful as what it should be, but nevertheless, this lush green park encircling a small freshwater dam is always worth a visit when I’m looking for a short little stretch my legs session that isn’t one of my usual walking routes.
Situated on the edge of the affluent Heldervue suburb of Somerset West, the park centers around its titular little dam, a popular destination for all the local recreational anglers, and indeed, you will often find the edge lined with people enjoying a bit of a picnic on the grass while running lines in the water. There is also a brightly painted outdoor gym area and of course a lovely little 2.04 km long trail that walks you along the border of the park, first up the hill to the to part of marsh, and then back down, leading you down the dam wall and along a little stream before it loops you back to the dam again.
As you can see, nice and simple, nice and scenic, great place to take your dogs (or your kids) for a waddle.
Although the dam is nice and visible when passing along the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch, the only way to actually access Poinsettia Park is via Poinsettia Street, which means throwing a left and then quick right at the Waterstone Village shopping mall robots if you are travelling in the direction of Stellenbosch.
Related Link: Somerset West