Hiking in HK

A 2017 New Year's Resolution

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10 MARCH 2017

衛奕信徑 第一段, Wilson Trail Section 1 // 3 Hrs Starting Point: 衛奕信徑 Wilson Trail, Stanley Gap Road Take #6 Bus to Wilson Trail Bus Stop on Stanley Gap Road. Finishing Point: 陽明山莊 Hong Kong Parkview

Check Points: 孖崗山 紫羅蘭山

Notes:

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04 MARCH 2017

玉桂山 Yuk Kwai Shan, Ap Lei Pai// 3 Hrs Starting Point: Lei Tung Bus Terminal Take MTR to Lei Tung Station and begin trail behind the bus terminal. Finishing Point: 沿路上落

Check Points: 玉桂山 鴨脷排 燈塔

Notes:

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26 FEBRUARY 2017 - Post 2 of 2

大潭水塘 Tai Tam Reservoir, Tai Tam// 3.5 Hrs Starting Point: 陽明山莊 Hong Kong Parkview Take #6, #66, #41A, #76 Bus to Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and walk up Tai Tam Reservoir Road to Parkview. Finishing Point: 大潭篤水壩 Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam Take #14 Bus to Stanley Plaza to transfer to other means of transportation.

Check Points: 大潭上水塘 大潭中水塘 大潭下水塘 大潭篤水壩

Notes:

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26 FEBRUARY 2017 - Post 1 of 2

大潭水塘 Tai Tam Reservoir, Tai Tam// 3.5 Hrs Starting Point: 陽明山莊 Hong Kong Parkview Take #6, #66, #41A, #76 Bus to Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and walk up Tai Tam Reservoir Road to Parkview. Finishing Point: 大潭篤水壩 Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam Take #14 Bus to Stanley Plaza to transfer to other means of transportation.

Check Points: 大潭上水塘 大潭中水塘 大潭下水塘 大潭篤水壩

Notes:

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09 FEBRUARY 2017

菠蘿山; Bo Lo Shan, Tuen Mun // 3 Hrs Starting Point:  Finishing Point: 沿路上落

Check Points: No particular check point, a fairly straight forward trail.

Notes:

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01 FEBRUARY 2017

龍蝦灣，清水灣; Lung Ha Wan, Clear Water Bay // 3 Hrs Starting Point: 清水灣迴旋柱 Clear Water Bay Roundabout Take Minibus #103M from Tseung Kwan O MTR Station Finishing Point: 清水灣迴旋柱 Clear Water Bay Roundabout Take Minibus #103M to Tseung Kwan O MTR Station

Check Points:

龍蝦灣郊遊徑 大嶺峒 騎馬場 Clear Water Bay Equestrian Centre

Notes:

Cloudier than we would have hoped for, but nonetheless...lots of great spot for photos. It took us approximately 4 hours to get through the entire route, due to a lot of starting and stopping to admire the scenery...and of course, to capture some on camera as well. The route starts at the roundabout and is paved pedestrian walkway on the side of the road for a good 15 minutes prior to entering the country trail（龍蝦灣郊遊徑）beside the parking lot (it’s pretty difficult to miss).

"Gradual” would not be the best way to describe the next part of this route - a continuous climb of approximately 200 steps. The steps are well built and defined making it relatively easier to climb, but you may choose to stop to catch you breath every now and then. It’s a very straightforward route with close to no junctions that could potentially confuse hikers. Follow the path and climb to the top, and you will find 大嶺峒 - just before the route begins to gradually gear downhill. 

When you have reached the end of the country trail, you end up at the Clear Water Bay Equestrian Centre - to the right through the bushes, theres a small path that leads you out to where the rocks and water meet. Wave watching is ever so therapeutic, and the rocks here create a wide range of height levels for photography. Don’t spend too much time here though, save enough time for getting yourself back down to the bus stop, the walk from here is all pavement alongside the road, but it’ll take another 20-odd minutes to get there!

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26 JANUARY 2017 (SEE “14 JANUARY 2017″ FOR MORE)

海下灣，西貢; Hoi Ha Wan, Sai Kung // 3 Hrs Starting Point: 大攤 Tai Tan Bus Stop Take KMB #94 from Sai Kung Ferry Pier Finishing Point: 海下灣 Hoi Ha Wan Take Minibus #7 to Sai Kung Ferry Pier

Check Points:

Nothing specific - the route itself is very evident and straight forward, just follow directional signage towards Hoi Ha (海下).

Notes:

Weather was a lot better than the previous experience on this route, and this time we took our time through it. Mosquito repellent is highly recommended for this route due to large amounts of shaded areas by the water. There are a few places along this route where you can deviate slightly off the path and through the bushes, climb out onto the rocks to get closer to the water. The one downfall of this route is that, most of the view is shaded by the trees and bushes because of how low lying this route is, until mid-way when the route climbs a bit higher up through the greenery.

Less incline, but a slightly trickier terrain - in comparison, definitely a concentration workout more than a physically challenging one.

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20 JANUARY 2017

牛耳石山，西貢; Ngau Yee Shek Shan, Sai Kung // 3 Hrs (Casual Walking) Starting Point: 海下路 Hoi Ha Road (嶂上郊遊徑, Cheung Sheung Country Trail) Take Minibus #7 from Sai Kung Ferry Pier Finishing Point: 北潭凹 Pak Tam Au Take Minibus #7 or KMB #94 to Sai Kung Ferry Pier (the bus stop is directly opposite from the exit of the route.

Check Points:

There is a BBQ/Campsite at Cheung Sheung (嶂上) where the country trail joins with MacLeHose Trail Section 3.

Notes:

Fairly dry on the humidity index, but other than that, great day for a hike. Take this route (on MacLeHose Trail Section 3) to bypass Ngam Tau Shan (岩頭山). In order to go up 岩頭山 as well, take the non-paved path slightly to your left at MacLeHose Trail Section 3 marker M054.

MacLeHose Trail Section 3 is considered a fairly difficult route, but the section that this route passes (also walking in reverse direction), this area of the trail was definitely manageable.

In order to climb up to the top of 牛耳石山, tread through the grassy area on your right, to get to the top of the hill, when you reach the two rocks “牛耳石”. There are no specific markings for this deviation, but with the rocks as markers, it’s pretty difficult to miss - an amazing panoramic view from the top of 牛耳石山. 

[mt-hiking-blog]

14 JANUARY 2017

海下灣，西貢; Hoi Ha Wan, Sai Kung // 2 Hrs (Brisk Walking) Starting Point: 大攤 Tai Tan Bus Stop Take KMB #94 from Sai Kung Ferry Pier Finishing Point: 海下灣 Hoi Ha Wan Take Minibus #7 to Sai Kung Ferry Pier (the bus stop is directly opposite from the exit of the route, the sign is not very prominent, so you may have to look for it if the bus isn’t already waiting at it’s terminal)

Check Points:

Nothing specific - the route itself is very evident and straight forward, just follow directional signage towards Hoi Ha (海下).

Notes:

Not the most ideal day for another scenic route, but it was forecasted to rain at some point during the day, so we figured a more open route would be less tricky if the rain decided to hit while we were still on the hike - thankfully, it didn’t. We also happened to pick the same day to take this trail as the 100km HK mountain run competition, so it was very busy throughout the hike...lots of stepping aside to let the participants get through first.

The route begins paved, but very early on becomes a rockier and sandier terrain. The route is still very straight forward though, just pay attention to where you choose to land your foot, and you’ll be well on your way - most of the route is like this though (as you can tell from the photos above), and I’d say that’s the trickiest part of this trail. The route itself isn’t very steep, there are certainly hills to climb - it has it’s share of ups and downs, but overall, its fairly smooth.

There are a few spots to be careful at - there are two steeper uphill and downhill sections to this route, those areas are a little trickier...I’d suggest someone who is more confident and stronger in this type of terrain to take lead, to allow others to follow their steps.

Definitely not a route to choose on a rainy day - yes, we were lucky.

[mt-hiking-blog]

10 JANUARY 2017 - Post 2 of 2

西灣（部份麥理浩徑第二段），西貢; Sai Wan (Part of MacLehose Trail Section 2), Sai Kung // 3 Hrs (Brisk Walking) Starting Point: 北潭凹 Pak Tam Au Bus Stop (麥理浩徑第二段終點) Take Mini Bus #7 or KMB #94 from Sai Kung Ferry Pier Finishing Point: 西灣亭 Sai Wan Pavilion

Check Points:

北潭凹 赤徑 大浪坳 鹹田灣 西灣 (Make sure to arrive before the tide rises - you’ll need to cross the beach) 吹筒坳 - Didn’t officially walk through, but passed by the junction to enter 西灣亭 - We chose to take the short route to save time, climbing over the hill instead of walking around it - it’s a tough climb though.

Notes:

Not the nicest day for a scenic route like this one, and definitely a route that requires more endurance - it’s a lot of climbing stairs and steep slopes to get from one hill to another. Ranked 2.5 out of 5 stars for difficulty on Oasistrek, but we’d say it would be closer to a 3, if not 3.5. Begin the walk no later than 12:00, as transportation to leave 西灣亭 is fairly tricky - the last bus (29R) departs at 16:45, and there is no reception at the pavilion to call a taxi. We started the actual walk at around 13:50, and brisk walked almost the whole way through...arriving at the pavilion at around 16:35. The walk itself is primarily MacLehose Trail Section 2 in reverse (and excluding 浪茄 Long Ke); though mostly paved, a relatively challenging climb - a lot of lengthy steep uphill sections to this hike. On a sunny day, bring enough drinks and a hat, a lot of this trail is not covered.

[mt-hiking-blog]

10 JANUARY 2017 - Post 1 of 2

西灣（部份麥理浩徑第二段），西貢; Sai Wan (Part of MacLehose Trail Section 2), Sai Kung // 3 Hrs (Brisk Walking) Starting Point: 北潭凹 Pak Tam Au Bus Stop (麥理浩徑第二段終點) Take Mini Bus #7 or KMB #94 from Sai Kung Ferry Pier Finishing Point: 西灣亭 Sai Wan Pavilion

Check Points:

北潭凹 赤徑 大浪坳 鹹田灣 西灣 (Make sure to arrive before the tide rises - you’ll need to cross the beach) 吹筒坳 - Didn’t officially walk through, but passed by the junction to enter 西灣亭 - We chose to take the short route to save time, climbing over the hill instead of walking around it - it’s a tough climb though.

Notes:

Not the nicest day for a scenic route like this one, and definitely a route that requires more endurance - it’s a lot of climbing stairs and steep slopes to get from one hill to another. Ranked 2.5 out of 5 stars for difficulty on Oasistrek, but we’d say it would be closer to a 3, if not 3.5.

Begin the walk no later than 12:00, as transportation to leave 西灣亭 is fairly tricky - the last bus (29R) departs at 16:45, and there is no reception at the pavilion to call a taxi. We started the actual walk at around 13:50, and brisk walked almost the whole way through...arriving at the pavilion at around 16:35. The walk itself is primarily MacLehose Trail Section 2 in reverse (and excluding 浪茄 Long Ke); though mostly paved, a relatively challenging climb - a lot of lengthy steep uphill sections to this hike. On a sunny day, bring enough drinks and a hat, a lot of this trail is not covered.

[mt-hiking-blog]

08 JANUARY 2017

布力徑，灣仔; Black's Link, Wanchai // 1 Hr Starting Point: Wong Nai Chung Gap Road Finishing Point: Aberdeen

Check Points:

Hong Kong Tennis Centre

Hong Kong Police Museum

Aberdeen BBQ Site

Notes:

An easy family walk, completely paved and often used as the Hong Kong Community Chest sponsored walk route. The walk itself is not very scenic, though there are several spots that look over Deep Water Bay - most of the route is shaded.

[mt-hiking-blog]

01 JANUARY 2017

南朗山, 黃竹坑; Nam Long Shan, Wong Chuk Hang // 3 Hrs Starting Point: Wong Chuk Hang MTR Station (Nam Long Shan Road 南朗山道) Finishing Point: 沿路下山

Check Points:

Canadian International School

南朗亭

南朗山頂電纜

Notes:

Great weather for a hike - more stairs than steep hills, but generally a fairly easy walk. Overlooks Ocean Park rides and the coastline around Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay - a pretty scenic route, great for sunrises and sunsets.