The MacLehose Trail (Chinese: 麥理浩徑; pinyin: Mailihao Jing), opened on 26 October 1979, is a hiking trail that crosses much of the New Territories, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, in the east to Tuen Mun in the west in the territory of Hong Kong. The whole trail is 100 kilometres long, marked by distance posts at 500m intervals along the path. It is named after Crawford Murray MacLehose, the longest serving governor of Hong Kong, who established the Country Parks and was himself an enthusiastic hiker. The trail passes through a variety of natural and beautiful scenery.
The New Territories, through which the MacLehose Trail runs, covers the majority of the SAR's land area. Here is Hong Kong's most varied - and finest - countryside. The east coast, where the Trail begins, is deeply indented and wild. The central mountains, which the MacLehose Trail crosses, include many of Hong Kong's highest peaks. And the western part, where the Trail winds to its end, has impressive valley reservoirs.[1]
Contents |
The MacLehose Trail is divided into ten stages:[1]
| Stage | Route | Length (km) | Time (hr) | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pak Tam Chung → Long Ke | 10.6 | 3.0 | |
| 2 | Long Ke → Pak Tam Au | 13.5 | 5.0 | |
| 3 | Pak Tam Au → Kei Ling Ha | 10.2 | 4.0 | |
| 4 | Kei Ling Ha → Tai Lo Shan | 12.7 | 5.0 | |
| 5 | Tai Lo Shan → Tai Po Road | 10.6 | 3.0 | |
| 6 | Tai Po Road → Shing Mun | 4.6 | 1.5 | |
| 7 | Shing Mun → Lead Mine Pass | 6.2 | 2.5 | |
| 8 | Lead Mine Pass → Route Twisk | 9.7 | 4.0 | |
| 9 | Route Twisk → Tin Fu Tsai | 6.3 | 2.5 | |
| 10 | Tin Fu Tsai → Tuen Mun | 15.6 | 5.0 |
Easy Walk
Fairly Difficult
Very Difficult
Oxfam Trailwalker, a major fundraising event in Hong Kong, takes place annually in November on the MacLehose Trail and additional route. The Start Point is at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung and the Finish Point is at Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Tai Tong Holiday Camp in Yuen Long.