Hansen's Hikes
... exploring Hong Kong's other side ...
Wilson Trail Challenge 2009
Dates to be confirmed
Cicada
The MacLehose Trail may be Hong Kong’s longest hiking trail, but one could argue that
the Wilson Trail is the most interesting of our 4 long distance trails. Where the
MacLehose generally skirts any signs of civilization, the Wilson Trail combines the
spectacular landscape with a glimpse of Hong Kong village life.

Generally crossing higher land, the Trail offers memorable countryside experiences –
and the adventure of sustained hiking. Parts of the Wilson Trail are surfaced roads, but
most follow forest or hillside paths. Hiking conditions are mostly easy to moderate, with
only a few sections needing strenuous effort.

Responding to requests, we have put together the following 5-hike challenge itinerary
covering virtually all of the Wilson Trail. A few deviations from the official route have
been included to enhance your experience and to suit transport needs.

Due to space limitations, we have given only outlines of each hike below, but please feel
free to
contact us should you have any questions regarding our Wilson Trail Challenge.

As there will a minimum number of just
3 participants per hike for this challenge, the
cost for each individual hike is
HK$250 per person, but there is a HK$20 discount for
everybody if more than 4 persons turn up for a hike. As an extra incentive, all hikes will
go ahead as scheduled unless it is absolutely bucketing down with rain…

One of the advantages of having a trail that crosses inhabited areas is the availability of
cooked meals in restaurants, thus only the two sections require you to bring your own
lunch box. Each of the other 4 sections will finish at a restaurant in time for a (possibly
late) lunch. Still, we do ask that you bring plenty of water and your favourite snacks for
the initial few hours of hiking.

To sign up for the Hansen's Hikes Wilson Trail Challenge 2009 or to receive more
information, please contact
Michael.
Lily Brownii
Macaques at Shing Mun Reservoir...
Bauhinia Blakeana. The Hong Kong flower.
Wilson Challenge 2009 Schedule
Date to be confirmed
Pat Sin Leng
 
Starting at the northern end of the Wilson Trail, our challenge commences with the
conquest of the impressive
Pat Sin Leng range. A steep stony path takes us from the
reservoir at Hok Tau to the ridge of the mountain and some truly spectacular views
over
Tolo Harbour, across the country park and on into China.

Though we will be following the ridge, there are still quite a few smaller climbs  to
negotiate before we begin the long descent through the woods and past a couple of
ghost towns towards the small Hakka village of Luk Keng at Starling Inlet.
 
Distance:
15 km
Meeting Time & Place:
8:45 am
at Fan Ling Railway Station
Finishing Time & Place:
4:30 pm
at Fan Ling Railway Station
Time Spent On Trail:
6 hours
Walking 5.25 hours + Breaks 0.75 hour
Difficulty:
8 out of 10
 
Food & Drink:
Snack stop at Wong Leng (4.5 km)
Lunch stop at Hsien Ku Fung (8 km) - bring lunch box
Refreshments at Luk Keng (15 km)
Click on this map
for an idea of the
route for
Hike 1
Click on this map for an idea of the route for the first leg of the Wilson Challenge...
Feral cattle roam the woods and hills of Hong Kong
Date to be confirmed
Cloudy Hill
 
We begin our conquest of Cloudy Hill (440m) at the picturesque hidden Lau Shui Heung
Reservoir by following a steep by virtually "step-less" and traffic free service road.
Just over half-way up, we turn off to join a nicely shaded path that will lead us to the
upland valley of Sha Lo Tong. We explore the old Hakka village here before completing
our climb - this time following a series of paved rocky steps.

The views from the top of Cloudy Hill over Tolo Harbour and surrounding mountains
will be well worth the effort though.

Unfortunately, the descent involves some 2091 (mostly concrete) steps, so it is with
wobbly knees that we pass the interesting Pun Chun Yuen retreat on our way to the
secluded village of Lin Au. Yet, from here it is just a short hop over to Tai Po Market.
 
Distance:
14 km
Meeting Time & Place:
8:45 am
at Fan Ling Railway Station
Finishing Time & Place:
1:30 pm
in Tai Po
Time Spent On Trail:
4.75 hours
Walking 4 hours + Breaks 0.75 hour
Difficulty:
7 out of 10
Food & Drink:
Snack stops at Cloudy Hill (6 km) & Lin Au (10 km)
Late Thai lunch at restaurant at Tai Po Market (14 km)
Click on this map
for an idea of the
route for
Hike 2
Click on this map for an idea of the route for the second leg of the Wilson Challenge...
Date to be confirmed
Reservoirs & Woodlands
 
Only 15 minutes from the bustling shopping malls and street markets of Mongkok, the
central Kowloon reservoirs provide a gate to quite a different world - a world of
serenity and scenic beauty. A world where birds are singing, cattle roam free and the
only hustling is that being done by monkeys.

Passing through dense woodlands we make our way across Smuggler's Pass to the
impressive Shing Mun Reservoir. We follow a flat dirt path around the reservoir,
before joining the forest track to Lead Mine Pass.

The final descent into Tai Po is along a rough stony path.
 
Distance:
16.5 km
Meeting Time & Place:
8:30 am
at Prince Edward Railway Station
Finishing Time & Place:
2:30 pm
in Tai Po Market
Time Spent On Trail:
5.5 hours
Walking 5 hours + Breaks 0.5 hour
Difficulty:
5 out of 10
Food & Drink:
Snack stops at Shing Mun (6 &11 km)
Late Thai lunch at restaurant at Tai Po Market (15 km)
Click on this map
for complete
Wilson Trail
Challenge
route
Click on this map for full Wilson Challenge route...
Click on this map
for an idea of the
route for
Hike 3
Click on this map for an idea of the route for the third leg of the Wilson Challenge...
Date to be confirmed
The Kowloon Hills
 
The longest stage of our the Hansen's Hikes Wilson Trail Challenge basically consists
of a series of long flat or sloping paved sections interrupted by a number of
unsurfaced climbs and descents.

Setting out fromthe Kowloon Reservoirs we make our way past families of monkeys
and the iconic Amah Rock along a nice flat catchwater that follows the lowers
northern slopes of Beacon Hill and Lion Rock to reach a look-out point above Tai Wai.

This hour-long warm-up should enable us to tackle the steepest climb of the day, the
140 metre-climb up to Sha Tin Pass.

A short break is in order at the small store here, before we begin the longest climb of
the day by following the sloping Sha Tin Pass Road to Tate's Cairn - some 255 metres
higher up... The efforts are rewarded by magnificent views over the Hong Kong
cityscape.

A little further on we dig into our lunch box while enjoying a wonderful panorama over
Sai Kung and Port Shelter.

Recharged we are then ready for the second half of our hike, part of which goes
through dense woods. We emerge into the open high above the new dormitory towns
around Tseung Kwan O, but we still have to conquer Black Hill and Chiu Keng Shan to
enjoy the spectacular views over Joss Bay and Victoria Harbour. An optional detour
will take you up and down The Devil's Peak before we conclude this long day of
walking at the picturesque traditional fishing village of Lei Yue Mun.  
 
Distance:
23 km
Meeting Time & Place:
9:00 am
at Prince Edward Railway Station
Finishing Time & Place:
4:45 pm
in Lei Yue Mun
Time Spent On Trail:
7.5 hours
Walking 6.5 hours + Breaks 1 hour
Difficulty:
8 out of 10
 
Food & Drink:
Snack stop at Sha Tin Pass (8 km) - store
Lunch stop near Tate's Cairn (12 km) - bring lunch box
Refreshment stop at Tseng Lan Shue (17 km) - store
Snack stop at Black Hill (20.5 km)
(Optional) early dinner at Lei Yue Mun (23 km)
Click on this map
for an idea of the
route for
Hike 4
Click on this map for an idea of the route for the fourth leg of the Wilson Challenge...
Date to be confirmed
The Hong Kong Island End
 
The Hong Kong island leg could just be the toughest part of the entire challenge.
Starting on the crowded north side of the island, we soon gain altitude as we make
our way up the slopes of Mount Butler and Siu Ma Shan. Fortunately, the cityscape
views do offer some reward for the effort going into the climbing.

There's a brief respite from the climbing as we home in on the Parkview, but it is just
the lull before the storm. Scaling Violet Hill, Hong Kong's south-side opens up in front
of us. Unfortunately, we will have to conquer the many concrete steps of The Twins to
get there...

The Wilson Trail Challenge 2008 is completed upon reaching the rather anti-climatic
Stanley Gap Road, but a celebratory glass is just a short bus or taxi ride away at the
waterfront in Stanley....
 
Distance:
11.5 km
Meeting Time & Place:
8:30 am
at Tai Koo Railway Station
Finishing Time & Place:
2:30 pm
in Stanley
Time Spent On Trail:
  Walking 4.75 hours + Breaks 0.75 hour
Difficulty:
8 out of 10
 
Food & Drink:
Snack stops at Jardine's Look-out (4 km)
Violet Hill (7.5 km) The Twins (10 km)
Possibility to enjoy celebratory lunch at Stanley
Click on this map
for an idea of the
route for
Hike 5
Click on this map for an idea of the route for the last leg of the Wilson Challenge...
Download Reservation Form here or click here to request more information.
Hansen's Hikes
38 D, Tower 2, Sham Wan Towers
3, Ap Lei Chau Drive
Ap Lei Chau
Hong Kong

Tel:
(+852) 9552 0987     E-mail: info@hansens-hikes.com
Click on this map
for complete
Wilson Trail
Challenge
route
Click on this map for full Wilson Challenge route...
Click on this map
for complete
Wilson Trail
Challenge
route
Click on this map for full Wilson Challenge route...
Click on this map
for complete
Wilson Trail
Challenge
route
Click on this map for full Wilson Challenge route...
Click on this map
for complete
Wilson Trail
Challenge
route
Click on this map for full Wilson Challenge route...
The Pat Sin Leng Range as seen from the Tolo Harbour
The village of Nam Chung as seen from Stage 10 of the Wilson Trail
Lau Shui Heung Reservoir at the foot of Cloudy Hill
Hustling monkeys roam the Shing Mun Country Park
Typical scene from the Shing Mun Country Park
Wilson Trail Stage 4
Kowloon as seen from the Wilson Trail Stage 4
Cloudy Hill as seen from Lin Au village
Old style trail marker...
St. Stephens Beach, Stanley, Hong Kong island
Iris Speculatrix, Wilson Trail Stage 1
Lei Yue Mun mailboxes
The harbour at Lei Yue Mun, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Uncle Lees Statues on slopes of Black Hill