Castle Peak Traverse
Following a comfortable and scenic but very long bus ride, we alight in the satellite town of Tuen Mun to start the walk up to the Tsing Shan
Monastery – passing banana groves and a few minor temples along the way.
After a good look around the monastery, the assault on Castle Peak starts for real. At first, the climb is relatively easy, as we benefit from a
recently renovated footpath. However, after 656 nicely regular steps, the concrete ends and we continue up a more natural path - pausing
regularly to catch our breath and to take in the view.
The climbing stops at about 560 metres above sea level. The reward? Magnificent views over Tuen Mun, Lantau Island, the Rambler Channel
and Hong Kong’s “Far West.” Rumour has it that on a clear day, even Macau can be seen from the top…
Unusually, reaching the summit does not quite mean the end of the hard bit… The descent from Castle Peak provides another challenge as
we cross what is probably the most arid part of Hong Kong. The area we now enter used to be a military firing range which meant that the
public utility companies, which have constructed most of Hong Kong’s remote footpaths, did not have access here. Consequently, at times
the path becomes rather indistinct…
Thankfully, after an hour or so of scrambling down the hillside, we reach the old road that used to connect Tuen Mun with Deep Bay. Now
impassable for vehicles, it is a very welcome sight for hikers. After a brief, final, climb we descend towards the fishponds, vegetable plots,
piggeries and chicken farms at Ha Pak Nai, where refreshments are offered by a number of stores – provided we can persuade the staff to
take a break from their mahjong game…
At low tide, the mangrove covered shoreline along Deep Bay teems with a large variety of bird life. Herons, egrets, ducks and kingfishers are
just some of the birds spotted here.
As the western most point in Hong Kong, the area around Ha Pak Nai is also a popular place with lovers to go watch the sunset…
Having rehydrated ourselves, we should then be ready for the journey back to the big city. However, the first half of the minibus ride to Yuen
Long provides another glimpse of a generally unexplored Hong Kong as we hug the coast riding north towards Lau Fau Shan. Once famous
as the place to go for a look into the “big China” Lau Fau Shan is now struggling to keep its reputation as a good place to enjoy a traditional
Chinese seafood feast. Nevertheless, we will alight here for to look at the old oyster beds and to take lunch.
Later, in Yuen Long, we swap the minibus for a large double-decker bus that will take us way back to the urban centre (virtually non-stop).
Following a comfortable and scenic but very long bus ride, we alight in the satellite town of Tuen Mun to start the walk up to the Tsing Shan
Monastery – passing banana groves and a few minor temples along the way.
After a good look around the monastery, the assault on Castle Peak starts for real. At first, the climb is relatively easy, as we benefit from a
recently renovated footpath. However, after 656 nicely regular steps, the concrete ends and we continue up a more natural path - pausing
regularly to catch our breath and to take in the view.
The climbing stops at about 560 metres above sea level. The reward? Magnificent views over Tuen Mun, Lantau Island, the Rambler Channel
and Hong Kong’s “Far West.” Rumour has it that on a clear day, even Macau can be seen from the top…
Unusually, reaching the summit does not quite mean the end of the hard bit… The descent from Castle Peak provides another challenge as
we cross what is probably the most arid part of Hong Kong. The area we now enter used to be a military firing range which meant that the
public utility companies, which have constructed most of Hong Kong’s remote footpaths, did not have access here. Consequently, at times
the path becomes rather indistinct…
Thankfully, after an hour or so of scrambling down the hillside, we reach the old road that used to connect Tuen Mun with Deep Bay. Now
impassable for vehicles, it is a very welcome sight for hikers. After a brief, final, climb we descend towards the fishponds, vegetable plots,
piggeries and chicken farms at Ha Pak Nai, where refreshments are offered by a number of stores – provided we can persuade the staff to
take a break from their mahjong game…
At low tide, the mangrove covered shoreline along Deep Bay teems with a large variety of bird life. Herons, egrets, ducks and kingfishers are
just some of the birds spotted here.
As the western most point in Hong Kong, the area around Ha Pak Nai is also a popular place with lovers to go watch the sunset…
Having rehydrated ourselves, we should then be ready for the journey back to the big city. However, the first half of the minibus ride to Yuen
Long provides another glimpse of a generally unexplored Hong Kong as we hug the coast riding north towards Lau Fau Shan. Once famous
as the place to go for a look into the “big China” Lau Fau Shan is now struggling to keep its reputation as a good place to enjoy a traditional
Chinese seafood feast. Nevertheless, we will alight here for to look at the old oyster beds and to take lunch.
Later, in Yuen Long, we swap the minibus for a large double-decker bus that will take us way back to the urban centre (virtually non-stop).
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| ... exploring Hong Kong's other side... |
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