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[HongKongMan]

The Sunday hike was planned to be the first two stages of one of the four main hiking trails in Hong Kong, which is a distance of 25kms (but felt a lot longer by the time we got to the starting point – more on that detail later). The MacLehose Trail, is one of the most (actually is probably the most) popular trail and runs across the hilltops of the New Territories, 100 kilometres from east to west. It is named after Murray MacLehose, one of Hong Kong's hiking colonial governors. Once a year there is a large hiking event where people complete in a timed race from start to finish – the majority taking tents and other supplies, and complete the distance over the two days of the weekend. The old Royal Hong Kong Army used to complete the trail in just less than twenty hours with full backpacks and I was told on the Friday night in a bar at two in the morning that the Gurkhas used to regularly complete the distance in twelve hours….

The original plan was to meet at an MTR (i.e. Tube) station in the New Territories at 8.30am and catch the special ‘Sunday Hiking’ bus to the national park at the starting point of the trial. Walking on Sundays appears to be a keenly participated past time for the locals of all ages, although it would appear that the older you are the earlier in the morning you start (i.e. sometime between five and six am if you are over sixty years old). Besides the walking stick, the compulsory item to take if you are a local (regardless of age) is a radio that you can play either Cantonese pop music or horse racing commentary at an exceptionally loud level from your backpack as you walk through the amazing scenery.  The concept of an ipod or even earphones does not seem to have been accepted by the hiking community. You also get a feel for the popularity of hiking on Sunday’s (in Winter/Autumn) by the fact that we had to queue up and only managed to board the third bus that pulled into the terminus. After a magical mystery tour of both Kowloon and the New Territories, between 50 story apartment blocks and under shopping centres we made it out to the coast and towards the country park. I’m not sure that the laws of science should allow a double decker bus to be driven at high speed down and around sharp bends and still stay upright.

We eventually reached our destination at ten am, or least what we thought was our destination the park visitors center. The hiking guide book that we where using for reference and directions, helpfully suggested that we walk ‘straight on’ at the visitors center. After speaking to the reception in the visitors center we discovered that the start of the trail was actually around two kms further down the road. So it was decided we should board the next bus and continue down to the start. A 15k run was just finishing at the same time, so there was a scene of exhaustion from the competitors and a long line of bus drivers waiting to drive straight over the finish line. We spent another ten minutes on the bus and reached the bus terminus without seeing any sign of one of the most popular trials in HK. We soon realized that the trail didn’t start where the bus had dropped us off and so in confusion we then headed back up the hill from where we had just come from, muttering about the ‘straight on’ directions in the guide book. Not looking forward to a two km hike up the hill before we even start our twenty five km hike we board another bus back towards the visitor centre with the hope of seeing the start of the trail. We depart the bus after a few minutes when we see a large group of old age hikers – radios, walking sticks, bright jackets and backpacks containing flasks of tea. This must be the start of the trail we think, and walk down the road in excitement. However it turns out that we are in fact at the end of stage two and the start of stage three. In other words the end point for our intended twenty five km hike!

So we manage to hike the twenty five km’s but in reverse order and starting at eleven not nine thirty am as planned. After walking across some amazing beaches, through small villages and up, across and down a succession of 350 metre high hills we finally get to the starting point for the trail at four forty in the afternoon. Exhausted. 

Hong Kong, 31.01.2007