Wilson Trail
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The Wilson Trail () is a
long-distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-co ...
in Hong Kong, 63 km of which runs through Hong Kong country parks.Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department – Wilson Trail
Country and Marine Parks Authority Agriculture
It was named after
David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn (, born 14 February 1935) is a retired British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. He was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief and 27th Governor of Hong Kong (from 1987 to 1992). He served as Lor ...
, who was penultimate
Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...
from 1987 to 1992. The Wilson Trail was developed by Friends of the Country Park and sponsored by various private organisations. The construction work of the trail began in 1994. The Wilson Trail was first opened on 21 January 1996. In all, the Wilson Trail traverses eight of the Country Parks. On
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...
, Tai Tam Country Park and the adjacent Quarry Bay Country Park begin the journey. Across the harbour, there is a gap where the trail runs through hills outside the parks. Then come the three parks named Ma On Shan,
Lion Rock Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a List of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong, mountain in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, between Kowloon Tong of Kowloon and Tai Wai of the New Territories, and is high. The ...
, and Kam Shan. In the central New Territories, the Wilson Trail heads north through
Shing Mun Country Park The Shing Mun Country Park (established 24 June 1977) is a country park of Hong Kong, hugging the Shing Mun Reservoir. Location Located in the central New Territories, it covers a total of . It extends from Lead Mine Pass in the north, to the ...
and
Tai Mo Shan Country Park Tai Mo Shan is the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an elevation of above the , or around above mean sea level. It is located at approximately the geographical centre of the New Territories. The Tai Mo Shan Country Park covers an area of ...
. Finally it climbs into the majestic
Pat Sin Leng Country Park Pat Sin Leng Country Park () is a country park in Hong Kong located in the northeastern New Territories. Established on 18August 1978, the country park covers of natural terrain. It comprises the Pat Sin Leng mountain range and other spurs, inclu ...
. Each of the Country Parks the Wilson Trail traverses has its individual character and appeal – offering, as one proceeds from south to north, changing settings with much of interest. The trail is aligned north-south and runs from
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
, in the south of
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...
to Nam Chung, in the northeastern
New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...
. Of the four long-distance trails, the Wilson Trail is the newest. Since the trail crosses
Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It acts as both a major trading hub and tourist attraction of Hong Kong in general. Lying in ...
, it makes use of the
MTR The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...
Tseung Kwan O line The Tseung Kwan O line () is one of the ten lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong. It is currently long, taking 15 minutes to travel throughout the entire line. It is indicated in on the MTR map. The line runs from North Point on the ...
or buses.


Route Description

The Wilson Trail is divided into ten sections: and is marked by distance posts W001 – W137. Although the other major Hong Kong trails measure distance posts every 500m, the distances between posts on the Wilson Trail range from 500m – 650m. Between Sections 2 and 3, it is necessary to take the MTR from Tai Koo Station (just near the end of Section 2 on Greig Road) to Yau Tong Station and then walk to W020 at the base of Devil's Peak. Previously, Section 3 started at Lam Tin Station but with the opening of Yau Tong Station it was moved. Easy Walk
Fairly Difficult
Very Difficult


Southern Hong Kong Island

Section 1 starts at a junction between Stanley Gap Road. The trail rises along Stone Hill and Cheung Lin Shan. On its way towards distance post W001, it passes through The Twins
Catchwater A catchwater device is a large-scale man-made device for catching surface runoff from hills and the sky from precipitation by channeling it to reservoirs for commercial and domestic use later. Freshwater is a scarce natural resource due to polluti ...
, a man-made path to channel water away from The Twins Peak to a nearby reservoir. At around 2200m from the starting point, the trail passes through Tze Kong Bridge, with it being mostly paved along with some dirt paths. The section continues to ascend towards
Violet Hill "Violet Hill" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). Built around a repeating guitar sound, it utilises a marching tempo, ...
, with it slowly descending towards the Wong Nai Chung Reservoir, and ending at an intersection with Tai Tam Reservoir Road.


Tai Tam

Section 2 starts on Tai Tam Reservoir Road near Parkview. It ascends slowly and passes through Osborn Memorial. After the trail meets Jardine’s lookout, It ends abruptly and connects to the
Hong Kong trail The Hong Kong Trail, opened in 1985, is a List of long-distance footpaths#Hong Kong, long-distance footpath from Victoria Peak to Big Wave Bay, Hong Kong Island, Big Wave Bay on Hong Kong Island. It is a walking route which passes through th ...
distance post H056. The trail then leads eastwards to descend steeply and rise up again, where it connects with the rest of the Wilson Trail at
Mount Butler Mount Butler or Pat Na Shan ( Chinese: 畢拿山) is a 436 m high hill on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Access Hong Kong Trail Stage 5 passes near the summit of Mount Butler. The best place to start the hike to the summit is from the Parkview ap ...
. As the trail runs northward, it meets the peak of Siu Ma Shan at around distance post W014. At about 400m from the end of the trail, it descends and comes to a flat surface, making it easy for travelers and hikers alike to rest. It then ends at the Siu Ma Shan Bridge, at
Quarry Bay Quarry Bay is an List of buildings, sites, and areas in Hong Kong, area beneath Mount Parker (Hong Kong), Mount Parker in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Quarry Bay is bordered by Sai Wan Ho ...
.


Southeastern New Territories

Section 3 starts near
Lam Tin Lam Tin is an area in the Kwun Tong District in southeastern New Kowloon, Hong Kong. Lam Tin is primarily a residential area but also hosts a major transport interchange and several shopping attractions. Lam Tin was once a large field in the ...
MTR station exit A. The trail cuts to an intersection with Kai Tin Road, and runs along it to the south. It continues along
Lei Yue Mun Lei Yue Mun is a short channel in Hong Kong. It lies between Junk Bay and Victoria Harbour, separating Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The channel is an important passage for the city, forming the eastern entrance of Victoria Harbour. The lan ...
Road until stopping at the end of the road at the south. To continue from distance post W019 to W020, hikers must walk up Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery Access Road uphill to Devil’s Peak. The trail passes through Owl Stone, Devil’s Peak Battery and Gough Battery on the mountain. It then descends with Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery on its east until it meets O King Road, where it runs along it to the east and goes north again. It rises up to meet Black Hill Triangulation Station and Black Hill Former Aviation Reflector. At distance post W026, the trail drops down and meets
Ma Yau Tong Ma Yau Tong () is an area on a mountain pass between Po Lam of Tseung Kwan O New Town and Sau Mau Ping of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is named after the village of the same name. It is known as Lau Tong and Ma Lau Tong in early 20th Century m ...
Village, where hikers and travelers alike can take rest. It continues northbound at distance post W028 on Tsui Lam Road, passing through O Tau Village. At around 330m away from distance post W031, it ends at an intersection with
Clear Water Bay Road Clear Water Bay Road () is a major road from Choi Hung Interchange in Ngau Chi Wan to Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung District. It also is a route to Sai Kung Town and Tseung Kwan O via Hiram's Highway and Hang Hau Road / Ying Yip Road respective ...
, at the heart of Tseng Lan Shue Village. Section 4 starts at the ending point of Section 3 on Clear Water Bay Road. The trail continues to the northwestern side of Tseng Lan Shue Village, until it meets distance post W033, where it runs to the north. At around 100m away from the east of distance post W034, the trail has an intersection that leads to Hebe Hill, and can also lead to
Ho Chung Ho Chung () is a village on the Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Ho Chung River () runs through the village. Administration Ho Chung is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy. History A Neolithic stone-working ...
Valley and Pak Shek Wo Village. The main trail connects to Tai Lam Wu Road at distance post W035, on which the Sai Kung Stray Friends Foundation Building resides. It continues along the road until it comes to an intersection near distance post W036, where it veers off from the road and goes northwest. Near distance post W039, hikers can see Tung Yeung Shan and Tai Lo Au at the south of the trail. There is a trail near distance post W040 that goes north towards Gilwell Campsite, a Scout
campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...
maintained by the
Scout Association of Hong Kong The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the largest scouting organisation in Hong Kong. Scout training was first introduced in Hong Kong by Rev Spink of St Andrew's Church, Kowloon in 1909 and 1910 by the Protestant based Boys' Brigade, Chums S ...
. At this point the trail runs southwest and northwest again, where it stays going west for the remaining section. Many mountains such as
Kowloon Peak Kowloon Peak, also known as Fei Ngo Shan (literally: "Soaring Goose Mountain", Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 飛鵝山), is a mountain in the northeast corner of New Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in Ma On Shan Country Park. With the s ...
, Elephant Hill and Tate’s Cairn can be seen from that point on the trail. Jat’s Incline connects to the trail, which is on Shatin Pass Road at this point, near distance post W043. It then shares the same path of Section 5 of the
MacLehose Trail The MacLehose Trail is a 100-kilometre hiking trail that crosses much of the New Territories, Hong Kong, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung District in the east to Tuen Mun Town, Tuen Mun District in the west. It is the longest trail in Hong ...
until Section 4 of the Wilson Trail ends. Tiu Tso Ngam and Temple Hill can also be seen near the end of this section at its north. The section concludes at Tsz Chuk Pavilion, near
Lion Rock Country Park Lion Rock Country Park (established 24 June 1977) is a country park, located in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It consists of approximately of land, including Lion Rock and Mong Fu Shek (Amah Rock) and their surrounding scenic hillsides, of w ...
Entrance.


Southern New Territories

Section 5 starts at Shatin Pass, near the end of Section 4 of the Wilson Trail. The trail runs northwesterly along some woodland pathway and descends steeply along a hillside. At distance post W050, there is a path that leads northbound to Tsok Pok Hang New Village at Shatin. The trail then goes towards the west, with a bit of deviation towards the south. At distance post W051, a path veers off from the main trail towards Shatin Tau New Village, a village inhabited by Hakka multi-surname ancestors. The trail continues along a service road next to the
Kowloon Reservoir Kowloon Reservoir, part of the Kowloon Group of Reservoirs, is a reservoir in Sha Tin District, Hong Kong, located within the Kam Shan Country Park. The total water storage capacity is 353 million gallons and the total cost of construction was ...
Catchwater, channeling water towards the Kowloon Reservoir near the end of the section. Near distance post W054, another path veers off from the trail towards
Amah Rock Amah Rock (, ''Mong Fu Shek'', "husband-watching stone") is a naturally shaped Rock (geology), rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin District, Hong Kong. Description The rock is approximately 15 meters in height, and is shaped much l ...
, a famous attraction at Hong Kong. There are a number of routes that leads away from the trail to the Tai Wai Villages: the first, at distance post W050 and W051 towards Shatin Tau New Village; the second, near distance post W054 that connects to
Lion Rock Tunnel The Lion Rock Tunnel, the first major road tunnel in Hong Kong, is a twin-board toll tunnel, connecting Hin Tin, Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories and New Kowloon near Kowloon Tong. It has two southbound lanes, and there are ...
Road via
Hung Mui Kuk Tai Wai (Chinese: 大圍 ) is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District. With three rapid transit stations, one of which an interchange station serving two lines, fiv ...
Nature Trail; the third, near distance post W056 that also connects to Lion Rock Tunnel Road near its
Toll Plaza A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and maintenan ...
. The trail passes through some woodland on its way and meets Tai Po Road at a junction, where the section ends. Section 6 is the second shortest section of the Wilson Trail. It starts at an intersection point on Tai Po Road, the same road on which section 5 ends. The trail then continues along the northeastern boundaries of
Kowloon Reservoir Kowloon Reservoir, part of the Kowloon Group of Reservoirs, is a reservoir in Sha Tin District, Hong Kong, located within the Kam Shan Country Park. The total water storage capacity is 353 million gallons and the total cost of construction was ...
. At distance post W062, the trail goes in a horseshoe-like manner to the west, and runs to the west along the north of Kowloon Reservoir until it meets distance post W064, where another trail can connect to the MacLehose trail section 6. This path The trail connects with the MacLehose trail section 6 at distance post M120, along the Kam Shan Family Walk path. The trail continues north, with the southern slope of Smuggler's Ridge on its west, and drops down until it meets
Shing Mun Reservoir Shing Mun Reservoir is a reservoir in Hong Kong. It is located in Shing Mun, the area between Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin, in the New Territories. Administratively, it is located within the boundaries of Tsuen Wan District. History Human life i ...
. At the Memorial Stone at Shing Mun Reservoir, the trail connects with the MacLehose trail section 7 again along the Main Dam and ends at the northeastern side of the Main Dam.


Central New Territories

Section 7 is the second longest section of the Wilson trail, and begins at the end of section 6 on the Main Dam of Shing Mun Reservoir. The trail then runs along the eastern side of the Shing Mun Reservoir. Between distance posts W078 and W079, Shing Mun Picnic Site No. 7 can be reached, which serves as a resting and dining spot. Via a path away from this picnic site, there is a pond side
meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...
right next to the reservoir, serving as a camping space. The trail continues northbound, and passes through
Lead Mine Pass Lead Mine Pass () is a mountain pass in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is near Grassy Hill and two walking trails, MacLehose Trail (Stages 7 & 8) and Wilson Trail (Stage 7) intersect at the pass. The pass lies to the north of Shing Mun Reservo ...
Campsite in between distance posts W083 and W084, and briefly intersects MacLehose Trail section 8 there as well. It comes to an intersection with Wun Yiu Road at distance post W087, with which leads to Ta Tat Yan Village in the south. With
Tai Mo Shan Country Park Tai Mo Shan is the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an elevation of above the , or around above mean sea level. It is located at approximately the geographical centre of the New Territories. The Tai Mo Shan Country Park covers an area of ...
to the west of its path, it concludes at the south most point of San Uk Ka Village in
Tai Po Tai Po is an List of areas of Hong Kong, area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Mark ...
. Section 8 starts at the ending junction of section 7 of the Wilson Trail. This section is mostly paved with concrete. The trail goes northbound at first, passing through San Uk Ka Village along Wun Yiu Road. A store in this village serves as a resting and refreshment shop for hikers. It then goes west near the northern Buddhist Temples of the village. Continuing to the northwest at distance post W093, it meets Shek Lin Road at distance post W095. The trail then runs to the northeast, passing through Hong Kong Dog Rescue Tai Po Homing Centre and Pun Chun Yuen. The path briefly crosses Tolo Highway and New Territories Circular Road before entering Kam Shek New Village. It crosses Lam Tsuen River to the northeast and turns back to the northwest along the river. The trail goes northeast for the rest of the section at an intersection with Tai Po Tau Shui Wai Road near distance post W098. The trail ends on top of Cloudy Hill, with views of
Pat Sin Leng Pat Sin Leng () is a mountain range in the northeast New Territories of Hong Kong, located within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The name ''Pat Sin Leng'' literally means "Ridge of the Eight Immortals", who are eight well-known ''Xian (Taoism) ...
to the east.


Northeastern New Territories

Section 9 starts at Cloudy Hill, where Section 8 of the Wilson Trail ends. The path goes northeast at first, passing through Shek Au Shan and an intersection that leads to Hok Tau Campsite. On the descent from Cloudy Hill, lights from
Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
can be seen. Between distance posts W110 and W111, the trail goes to the east, passing through
Hok Tau Reservoir Hok Tau Reservoir is a small S-shaped reservoir situated in the northeastern New Territories, Hong Kong. The Tan Shan River flows through the reservoir and eventually empties into the Ng Tung River. The reservoir can be accessed by Stage 9 ...
Dam and Hok Tau Reservoir Family Walk inside
Pat Sin Leng Country Park Pat Sin Leng Country Park () is a country park in Hong Kong located in the northeastern New Territories. Established on 18August 1978, the country park covers of natural terrain. It comprises the Pat Sin Leng mountain range and other spurs, inclu ...
. There is a BBQ site near distance post W114 along the trail. Following the descent from Cloudy Hill, the trail then ascents to Ping Fung Shan and runs along the ridge, passing through
Wong Leng Wong Leng (; literally: "Yellow Ridge") is on section 9 of the Wilson Trail in Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Hong Kong. It is 639 metres tall. See also * List of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong *Pat Sin Leng Pat Sin Leng () is a mo ...
, and all the peaks from the mountain range of
Pat Sin Leng Pat Sin Leng () is a mountain range in the northeast New Territories of Hong Kong, located within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The name ''Pat Sin Leng'' literally means "Ridge of the Eight Immortals", who are eight well-known ''Xian (Taoism) ...
. Hsien Ku Fung, a peak in the Pat Sin Leng mountain range, is the point where section 9 ends. Section 10 starts at Hsien Ku Fung, where Section 9 of the Wilson Trail ends. The trail goes north, coming to an intersection with Pat Sin Leng Nature Trail then turning northwest. Chung Pui Campsite to the east of the trail can be accessed via Pat Sin Leng Nature Trail at that point. The path continues to descend to the northwest. At distance post W135, a path branching off from the main path to the north leads to the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Pavilion. This section ends at an intersection with South Bay Road, concluding the whole Wilson Trail.


Errors

Wilson Trail is one of the newest long-distance trails in Hong Kong. However, many hikers find the sign posts are unclear and full of errors. One of the most significant problems is that there are only 137 distance posts along the 78 km trail. They are supposed to be at 500-metre intervals. There are also complaints that some signs are missing or misplaced. However, the situation has improved in the recent years.


Raleigh Challenge

Raleigh International Raleigh International is a youth expedition organisation based in the UK. Raleigh runs overseas Expeditions for young people to work together on community, environmental and conservation projects around the world. The young people who participat ...
's "Raleigh Challenge - Wilson Trail" is the first hiking competition which covered the longest distance of the Wilson Trail, spanning across the Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories from south to north.Raleigh Challenge: Wilson Trail
/ref>


See also

*
Hong Kong Country Parks & Special Areas Out of the total 1,114 km2 of land in Hong Kong, three-quarters is countryside, with various landscapes including beaches, woodlands, and mountain ranges being found within the small territory. Most of Hong Kong's parks have abundant natural ...


References


External links


Tai Tam Country Park by Hong Kong GovernmentRaleigh Challenge-Wilson Trail
{{coord, 22.250062, N, 114.198498, E, source:zhwiki_region:CN, format=dms, display=title Infrastructure completed in 1996 1996 establishments in Hong Kong Hiking trails in Hong Kong Tai Tam