MacLehose Trail

Tai Mo Shan Road weaving up the mountain along section 8 of the MacLehose Trail

The MacLehose Trail (Chinese: 麥理浩徑), 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 Sir 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 including exquisite beaches and mountain peaks which contrast what many would associate as typical Hong Kong landscapes.

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]

Tai Mo Shan Road (大帽山道) turn-off on Route Twisk, where the old section of MacLehose Trail Stage 8 between Route Twisk and the car park near Tai Mo Shan connects to stage 9.

Stages

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

Trailwalker

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.

See also

Hk100 is an event that starts and finishes on the Maclehose trail. Maybe the start of a mini boom in ultra running popularity in HK. It has grown quickly in popularity and has Ultra World status. Famous South African runner Ryan Sandes has the record. More locals run every year but international elites usually finish well before the better runners locally. This is despite the local familiarity with the many steps and concreted portions. A feature is the exposure talented Nepalese runners have got through running this event.

References

  1. 1 2 Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department - MacLehose Trail Country and Marine Parks Authority Agriculture

External links

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