Walking in Hong Kong's mountains

Despite Hong Kong's large population there is a distinct shortage of decent bookshops. Eventually I found the Kelly and Walsh store in the Pacific Place shopping mall in Admiralty, and even that is quite small when compared to Borders or Waterstones in the UK. But my luck was in because I purchased the rather grand sounding 'The Serious Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong'. I noted three points about the title; firstly the correct use of the apostrophe after the shameful decision by Birmingham City Council to totally ignore correct punctuation and drop it from all their roadsigns! Secondly the similarity to the title of the book 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and the thoughts that conjures up! Finally the use of the word 'serious', and I dwelt on the last point because it seemed more practical. I thought as I am living on my former glories as a 'serious' mountaineer, I qualify at least in part to be a serious hiker, after all I am still a member of the Powsers Mountaineering Club and the Rucksack Club. But I wondered how 'serious' it could get in Hong Kong. I also bought a good map of the North West New Territories and also 'Terrorist' by John Updike mainly out of curiosity because he died this week and was very much acclaimed by the BBC World Service on the radio.

After purchasing a cheap pair of 'all terrain' trainers I was armed with the essentials and I spent Saturday evening studying the book and the map to work out my first Hong Kong route. On Sunday morning I got out of bed early and promptly changed it to something less ambitious by deciding on walking a section of the Hong Kong trail.

My first challenge was to get to the start of the route and that meant catching a number 6 bus from Admiralty. Given that I had no idea where the bus stop was I was pretty lucky to find it without too much hassle but then I was quickly on to challenge number two; where to get off it. This was a little more tricky but I figured that bus had climbed steeply out of the city and had reached a col where the descent into Stanley could be seen. This had to be the stop but I was assisted in my decision making by a mass exodus from the bus as about twenty odd other like minded citizens alighted at the same stop. That was the hard bit over now for challenge number three; the walk from Wong Nei Chung Gap to Tai Long Wan. It doesn't have the same ring as Kinder Scout to Laddow Rocks but it is about the same distance, and there the similarity ends!

The walk itself was straightforward and there was no need for a map although the guide book was useful with little descriptions and stories with historical anecdotes. I suppose what struck me was the magnificent views overlooking Hong Kong and Kowloon; it is a huge metropolis and I wondered how it copes with all the people who live amongst it. The other point was a distinct lack of people walking in the hills which are only a twenty minute bus ride from the city. There was a real sense of being at one with the sun and wind at my back.

At first I thought the concrete steps and paths had been laid in selected places where the erosion must be particularly bad. The heavy rains will leave their mark as the water cascades from the hills, but after walking for more than an hour with concrete underfoot I realised this was the policy of the Country Parks Commission of Hong Kong, and to be fair it is mentioned in the book. At times it spoilt the walk, and it played havoc with my knees and feet, but the concrete ribbon does keep everything in its place in this fragile environment. The views distracted me from this irritation and I was determined not to be grumpy about it.

The view from Jardine's Lookout over Hong Kong and Kowloon on the opposite shoreline

Looking south towards Stanley

That said the first section had a couple of 'big pulls' up fairly steep hill sides which got the pulse ticking and the sweat glands mobilised, and every 'up' seemed to have an equal 'down' to keep the equilibrium and I still find myself asking the question 'is it easier to come down, or is it easier to go up?' The concrete steps featured very strongly in trying to answer this question, but I still couldn't decide.

After leaving Jardine's Lookout at 433 metres and passing over Mount Butler at 436 metres I arrived at Tai Tam by descending 599 concrete steps (no I didn't count them the information is conveniently supplied in the book)! The next section was easier but involved walking a fair distance on a tarmac road which was traffic free and through a pleasant wood. There was a short section through some idyllic woodland (on proper dirt!) until I popped out at Tai Tam Bay and crossed the road to join the water catchment drainage system that contours around Obelisk Hill. This again is on concrete but the path was made when the water catchment drains were constructed. I can only assume that this foresight opened up the area for outdoor enthusiasts like me, so that's ok. Again there were few people on the trail as it wound its way round the hill and through the trees which gave way occasionally to views of the coast and the sea below.

Tai Tam Bay

Eventually I finished on the beach at Tai Long Wan and enjoyed a small beer with a plate of egg fried rice. That was 15 kilometres (or 11 miles in old currency) and overall it was good value.

Tai Long Wan beach

There was still a challenge to get back home and this involved climbing 600 steps to the road and the number 9 bus back to Shau Kei Wan and the train. The climb was a true sting in the tail but the bus arrived as I reached the top of the stairs and it dropped me off right next to the station.

It was a good day out and I thoroughly enjoyed getting back into the hills, perfect weather and an excellent introduction to the 'serious hiking' of Hong Kong. One final thought; I decided the use of the word 'serious' is directed more towards the concrete and the steps. Now I am forewarned.