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90-634: The MacLehose Trail starts in Pak Tam Chung, then weaves its way anticlockwise around the Sai Kung peninsula . It then hugs the Sai Kung district border with Sha Tin , until it meets the mountains separating Kowloon and the New Territories . The trail proceeds along the mountain range, culminating in an ascent up to the highest point in Hong Kong, Tai Mo Shan . The trail then winds its way to Tuen Mun in

180-588: A Kwan Tai Temple known for its statue of a red horse is situated. Further along the trail is a crossroads, where a prominent set of stairs leads towards the Reservoir Islands Viewpoint. The viewpoint provides expansive views over the islands of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir, which gave the reservoir its nickname of "Thousand Island Lake". The main trail then re-joins a concrete road and the old lakeside path near distance post M186. After reaching

270-600: A "different hiking experience" on the MacLehose Trail. There is an option to complete a half course, starting in Tsz Wan Shan and ending in Pak Tam Chung . The Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race, or HK100 in short, runs from Pak Tam Chung to Tai Mo Shan , following the MacLehose Trail up to Route Twisk for most of its course. The main detour is its deviation from Section 3 of the MacLehose Trail to reach Hoi Ha in

360-511: A 10-meter square. If a 100-meter resolution is enough, 3 + 3 digits suffice; if a 1 km resolution is enough, 2 + 2 digits suffice; if 10 km resolution is enough, 1 + 1 digits suffice. 10 meter resolution (4 + 4 digits) is sufficient for many purposes, and is the NATO standard for specifying coordinates. If we zoom in on Hawaii (figure 2), we see that the square that contains Honolulu, if we use 10 km resolution, would be written 4QFJ15. If

450-530: A car barrier, the trail follows a flat catchwater westwards along the contours of the mountain. This portion stretches for more than six kilometres, with average views over So Kwun Wat and the Gold Coast . Towards the end of the Section, Tuen Mun Town comes into view. The endpoint of the full MacLehose Trail is under a Light Rail overpass near Pui To stop , at the end of a descent from the catchwater — an example of

540-413: A clear view of Tai Mo Shan ahead. Eventually, the trail opens into the paved Tai Mo Shan Forest Track, winding its way up to the summit of Tai Mo Shan . The highest point on Tai Mo Shan is closed to visitors, as it houses a Hong Kong Observatory weather station and a People's Liberation Army radar station — however, hikers can still enjoy sweeping views over "virtually every part of Hong Kong", including

630-480: A different labeling convention. The MGRS is used as geocode for the entire Earth. It’s also referred as 10-digit coordinates. An example of an MGRS coordinate , or grid reference , would be 4QFJ12345678 , which consists of three parts: An MGRS grid reference is a point reference system. When the term 'grid square' is used, it can refer to a square with a side length of 10 km (6 mi), 1 km, 100 m (328 ft), 10 m or 1 m, depending on

720-463: A famous dessert restaurant called Honeymoon Dessert that brings in many visitors from all over Hong Kong and even from abroad. In the northern Sai Kung Peninsula, there is also an area called Wong Shek . There are places where people can barbecue and enjoy the view of the sea. However, to protect the natural environment of Wong Shek, the Government controls the number of vehicle entering the area. There

810-647: A historically important bridge connecting Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan before the completion of Castle Peak Road . The MacLehose Trail originally diverged from the concrete road here to follow the northern shore of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir , but was permanently diverted in October 2009 — the trail now continues along the road, passing through the sweet gum woods of Tai Tong — a seasonally popular destination known for its red autumn leaves. The concrete road eventually gives way to an undulating mountain path, along which

900-574: A lifetime award at the Gone Running Hong Kong Trail Running Awards, acts as "a mother-like figure to the area's many frequent hikers and cyclists". Nearby, toilet facilities, a small campsite, and barbeque areas are available for public use. Section 9 starts on the opposite side of Route Twisk and follows a paved concrete road westwards until it meets Section 10 at Tin Fu Tsai . The trail runs through Tai Lam Country Park , along

990-473: A popular campsite with toilet facilities and small stores. Visitors are able to enjoy panoramic views over Sai Wan and the two outcropping islands of Tai Chau and Tsim Chau; campers in particular have unobstructed visibility of the sunrise over the South China Sea . Leaving Sai Wan Beach, the trail weaves along the coastline of Tai Long Wan until it reaches Ham Tin , a small fishing village. The trail climbs

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1080-524: A resting area at the crossroads of various hiking routes. From here, the MacLehose Trail roughly forms the administrative boundary between Sha Tin and Sai Kung , proceeding southwards towards Buffalo Pass while commanding a view over Hebe Haven and the Hong Kong Marina. The trail then bypasses the twin peaks of Buffalo Hill and West Buffalo Hill , past which the mountains of Kowloon , especially Tate's Cairn , come into view. Section 4 concludes with

1170-460: A short climb towards Gilwell Campsite , a major campsite managed by the Scout Association of Hong Kong . The Section ends where it meets an access road, just outside the campsite grounds. Section 5 is the closest section to urban Kowloon , running westwards along the mountains separating New Kowloon and the New Territories . The mountains formed a natural physical barrier, unbroken until

1260-524: A short section along the distinctive Long Ke coastline, which is formed by jagged columns of rhyolite . The trail then takes a steep ascent up Sai Wan Shan (Sai Kung) , an exposed route without any shade — the Government Flying Service on one day in September 1999 took off seven times to rescue 17 heatstroke victims from this area. However, at the peak, hikers are rewarded with a clear view over

1350-427: A small hill to reach Tai Long Au and crosses the Sai Kung / Tai Po administrative border, before descending westwards to sea level at Chek Keng , where kai-to services to Wong Shek and Wan Tsai are available. This is followed by a gradual ascent towards Pak Tam Au , where Section 2 ends. Public transport, toilet facilities, and a water refilling station are available here. Section 3 leaves Pak Tam Road to enter

1440-410: A small road serving the now-abandoned village of Wong Chuk Yeung . The trail branches off onto a dirt path at distance post M073, providing views of Ma On Shan and Pyramid Hill . This is shortly followed by a sharp ascent up Ma On Shan itself — a section with steep drops either side of the path. The trail branches off to the south, around half a kilometre away from the summit. Skirting past Pyramid Hill,

1530-585: A talk organised by the AFCD for the occasion. The MacLehose Trail is marked by two hundred numbered distance posts at 500-metre intervals, ranging from M001 to M200. Fingerposts and stone pillars mark the trail at junctions with other major hiking routes. In addition to their respective post numbers, distance posts indicate their trail section, grid reference number, and the AFCD website, all information which can assist hikers in communicating their location to relevant authorities in an emergency. The most prominent feature

1620-501: Is a gate at Pak Tam Chung on the way towards Wong Shek, only allowing vehicles with permits to go through. Off the coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula, there are many outlying islands. On summer nights, many people hire small boats known as kai-tos or sampans to have leisurely trips through the island-dotted inland sea of Port Shelter . Popular islands to visit include: Although Wong Shek and Hoi Ha Wan are geographically in

1710-530: Is an overall gradient from the grassland in the east to the woodland in the west. Grassland species are predominantly minireed, duck-beak grass and false staghorn fern. Shrubs cloth the lower slopes and species for Melastoma , Rhodomyrtus , Baeckea , Eurya and Gordonia are commonly found. Natural woodland, often in strips along the valleys or as patches behind villages are rich in native species of Machilus , Litsea , Sapium , Ficus , Sterculia and Heptapleurum . Forest plantations,

1800-666: Is arguably the distinctive logo for the MacLehose Trail: the silhouette of a young backpacker with one leg on a rock, hands resting on their knee, facing towards the left. The logo was designed by Tong King-sum, a famous local sculptor who once worked as a civil servant in the AFCD. Lord MacLehose commented that the logo "immortalise[d him] as the perpetrator of intense fatigue in exhausted bodies under heavy loads on semi-perpendicular slopes", but others have described it as "aesthetically beautiful". Early stone markers were individually carved by workers, resulting in slightly varied designs of

1890-415: Is in grid zone 4Q. The second part of an MGRS coordinate is the 100,000-meter square identification . Each UTM zone is divided into 100,000 meter squares, so that their corners have UTM-coordinates that are multiples of 100,000 meters. The identification consists of a column letter (A–Z, omitting I and O) followed by a row letter (A–V, omitting I and O). Near the equator, the columns of UTM zone 1 have

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1980-505: Is just a single digit, according to the example in DMA TM 8358.1, Section 3-2, Figure 7), followed by the latitude band letter (uppercase). This same notation is used in both UTM and MGRS, i.e. the UTM grid reference system; the article on Universal Transverse Mercator shows many maps of these grid zones, including the irregularities for Svalbard and southwest Norway. As Figure 1 illustrates, Honolulu

2070-467: Is protected by law. Sai Kung is also a popular place for hiking. The starting point for the 100 kilometres (62 mi) MacLehose Trail is at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung. There are also water sports sites along the shoreline offering kayaking , snorkelling and swimming among other activities. In addition, Sai Kung's Hoi Ha Wan ( 海下灣 ) is one of the most easily accessed coral dive sites in Hong Kong. It

2160-460: Is suitable for diver training and for newly certified divers. As a former fishing village, Sai Kung Town is a prime attraction for seafood lovers, locals and tourists alike. Visitors can stroll around the regional market center of Sai Kung Town or explore the back lanes, visit the Tin Hau Temple, feast on seafood or enjoy different delicacies at Western-style pubs and restaurants. There is also

2250-466: Is the grid-zone designation . The 6° wide UTM zones, numbered 1–60, are intersected by latitude bands that are normally 8° high, lettered C–X (omitting I and O). The northmost latitude band, X, is 12° high. The intersection of a UTM zone and a latitude band is (normally) a 6° × 8° polygon called a grid zone , whose designation in MGRS is formed by the zone number (one or two digits – the number for zones 1 to 9

2340-540: Is the shortest stage of the MacLehose Trail and runs chiefly through Kam Shan Country Park . The trail first crosses Tai Po Road on a footbridge and turns onto Golden Hill Road, an access road for the Kowloon Reservoirs , where groups of rhesus macaques can be seen. These monkeys were first introduced in Hong Kong to improve water safety by having them eat the narrow-flowered poison nut and umbel-flowered poison nut, native plants toxic to humans. Various structures of

2430-428: Is used instead of a UTM projection. The west half-circle forms a grid zone with designation A; the east half-circle forms one with designation B; see figure 3. North of 84°N, UPS North is used, and the west half-circle is Y, the east one is Z; see figure 4. Since the letters A, B, Y, and Z are not used for any latitude bands of UTM, their presence in an MGRS coordinate, with the omission of a zone number, indicates that

2520-410: Is valid in one lettering scheme, then it is usually invalid in the other scheme, which will have no such 100,000 meter square in the grid zone. (Latitude band X is the exception to this rule.) Therefore, a position reported in a modern datum usually cannot be misunderstood as using an old datum, and vice versa – provided the datums use different MGRS lettering schemes. In the map (figure 1), which uses

2610-522: The Civil Aviation Department stands. Although the radar station is closed to visitors, its surroundings command an expansive view over Sha Tin and much of Kowloon. After descending from Beacon Hill, Section 5 ends with a flat section through Eagle's Nest , merging with the Eagle's Nest Nature Trail. The endpoint of Section 5 is on Piper's Hill Road, near the junction with Tai Po Road . Section 6

2700-698: The Kowloon Reservoir are declared monuments, most of which date back to 1901. The MacLehose Trail continues northwards onto Smuggler's Ridge — an area full of historic relics and monuments from the Battle of Hong Kong , the most prominent of which is the remnants of the Gin Drinkers' Line . The tunnels of the Shing Mun Redoubt , an integral part of the Gin Drinkers' Line, still stand in good condition, bearing

2790-540: The Lion Rock Country Park and ascends Unicorn Ridge , passing just south of the summit. The trail continues westwards, reaching the Reunification Pavilion after bypassing the iconic Lion Rock along its northern slopes. From here, paved pathways down to Wang Tau Hom provide easy access from urban Kowloon. The last uphill section consists of a climb up Beacon Hill , on top of which a radar station for

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2880-530: The New Territories in Hong Kong. Its name comes from Sai Kung Town in the central southern area of the peninsula. The southern part of the peninsula is administered by Sai Kung District , the north by Tai Po District and the northwest by Sha Tin District . The vast land and sea area of the peninsula remains untouched by urbanisation, and it is mostly covered by country parks. The marine ecosystem in Hoi Ha Wan

2970-638: The Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Tai Tong Holiday Camp. As of January 2021, the fastest record for the Trailwalker route is 10 hours and 58 minutes, set in 2013. Since 1986, the event has raised over HK$ 600m to support poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects across the world. A sporting event derived from the Trailwalker is the Rebel Walker, which follows the Trailwalker route in reverse. First held in 2018, it aimed to provide

3060-513: The Sai Kung West Country Park . Hikers are immediately faced with a steep ascent up Ngau Yee Shek Shan, 425m above sea level. Section 3 is often said to be one of the toughest parts of the MacLehose Trail, due to its "undulating mountains" and "steep gradients"— however, hikers are rewarded with an unobstructed view over Tolo Harbour , Tai Po , and Ma On Shan throughout the first half of the Section. The trail continues westwards along

3150-600: The Tsing Ma Bridge . Tai Mo Shan is the coldest place in Hong Kong, attracting visitors wanting to catch a glimpse of frost during cold spells. Tai Mo Shan also receives more than 30% more rainfall than urban Hong Kong, and acts as the source for both the Lam Tsuen and Shing Mun rivers. The MacLehose Trail follows the winding Tai Mo Shan Road down the opposite side of the mountain. This road segment consists of numerous hairpin bends, which attracts illegal street racing during

3240-452: The AA scheme, we see that Honolulu is in grid zone 4Q, and square FJ. To give the position of Honolulu with 100 km resolution, we write 4QFJ. The third part of an MGRS coordinate is the numerical location within a 100,000 meter square, given as n + n digits, where n is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. If 5 + 5 digits is used, the first 5 digits give the easting in meters, measured from the left edge of

3330-492: The Army. This truncation can put them on the wrong side of a latitude zone boundary, causing the truncated MGRS string to be considered invalid. The correction causes truncated strings to be considered valid if any part of the square which they denote lies within the latitude zone specified by the third letter of the string. In the polar regions, a different convention is used. South of 80°S, UPS South ( Universal Polar Stereographic )

3420-454: The Peninsula also presents a wide variety of sea shore conditions for specialised and interesting plant communities to develop. The grassy hillside of Sai Kung Peninsula have few birds. Around the picnic and barbecue sites, crested mynah and Eurasian tree sparrow may be seen feeding on scraps of left-over food. In patches of shrubs, Chinese bulbul can commonly be seen feeding on berries. In

3510-510: The Sai Kung coastline and of Sharp Peak to the north. Sharp Peak, true to its name, is one of the Three Sharp Peaks of Hong Kong , known for its difficulty from steepness and remoteness. The trail gradually snakes down to a crossroads at Chui Tung Au. A clear, concreted-over path here leads to Sai Kung Sai Wan Road, where private minibus services are available. Veering right at Chui Tung Au, the main trail reaches sea level at Sai Wan Beach ,

3600-513: The area surrounding the High Island Reservoir and the south islands such as Kau Sai Chau , Tiu Chung Chau and Basalt Island , banded acid lava with some welded tuffs are found in the central and southern shore of Pak Tam Chung area. The most spectacular of all are the hexagonal columnar joints which are found near the east dam of the High Island Reservoir and Po Pin Chau area. They are

3690-582: The area. 22°25′34″N 114°19′23″E  /  22.426°N 114.323°E  / 22.426; 114.323 Military Grid Reference System The Military Grid Reference System ( MGRS ) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on Earth. The MGRS is derived from the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system and the Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) grid system, but uses

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3780-474: The border between Tsuen Wan District and Sha Tin District . This is "one of the most notorious climbs on the whole 100km route", as scaling Needle Hill requires hikers to climb more than 1000 steps in less than 1.7 km, all with little to no shade. However, the view on the summit is expansive, despite Needle Hill standing only 532 m above sea level — to the east are panoramic views of Sha Tin New Town . In

3870-458: The boundaries of the 100,000-meter squares (blue lines in figure 1). For example, at the boundary between grid zones 1P and 1Q, we find a 100,000-meter square BT, of which about two thirds is south of latitude 16° and therefore in grid zone 1P, while one third is north of 16° and therefore in 1Q. So, an MGRS grid reference for a position in BT should begin with 1PBT in the south part of BT, and with 1QBT in

3960-460: The city people can reach this relatively unspoilt area for recreation. The Sai Kung Peninsula and the islands near the coast are composed almost entirely of volcanic materials. Coarse tuffs are found in the northern and south-western parts of the Peninsula and Tap Mun area. Pyroclastic rocks with some lava are found in the eastern part of the Sharp Peak and Sham Chung areas. Acid lavas are found in

4050-473: The contrasts between Hong Kong's countryside and urban areas. The Oxfam Trailwalker is a major annual fundraising event held every November that largely follows the MacLehose Trail. The Trailwalker started in 1982 as a military exercise for the Gurkhas , then opened to the public four years later. Participants are required to complete the full 100 kilometres within 48 hours, passing through nine checkpoints along

4140-594: The coordinates are in the UPS system. The lettering scheme for 100,000 m squares is slightly different in the polar regions. The column letters use a more restricted alphabet, going from A to Z but omitting D, E, I, M, N, O, V, W; the columns are arranged so that the rightmost column in grid zone A and Y has column letter Z, and the next column in grid zone B or Z starts over with column letter A. The row letters go from A to Z, omitting I and O. The restricted column alphabet for UPS ensures that no UPS square will be adjacent to

4230-673: The coordinates, not round. This has been controversial in the past, since the oldest specification, TM8358.1, used rounding, as did GEOTRANS before version 3.0. However, truncation is used in GEOTRANS since version 3.0, and in NGA Military Map Reading 201 (page 5) and in the US Army Field Manual 3-25.26. The civilian version of MGRS, USNG , also uses truncation. The boundaries of the latitude bands are parallel circles (dashed black lines in figure 1), which do not coincide with

4320-456: The densely wooded areas species such as greater coucal , great tit and Oriental magpie nest. The old fung shui woods are particularly attractive to winter visitors such as thrushes which migrate to Hong Kong from China. Kingfishers can be found searching for food in streams. Most large wild animals are nocturnal and are rarely seen but porcupine , pangolin , masked palm civet , leopard cat , wild boar and python have been sighted in

4410-532: The edge of the Shing Mun Reservoir , where there are toilet facilities, a water refilling station, and a barbeque area. Hikers can leave the MacLehose Trail by turning left at Shing Mun Road and walking approximately 2 km to Lei Muk Shue , where public transport is available. Section 7 begins by following Shing Mun Road in the opposite direction, crossing the main dam of the Reservoir. The Reservoir itself

4500-400: The forest, the trail descends westward towards Lead Mine Pass , where Section 7 ends — there is an official campsite close by, complete with barbeque pits and flushing toilets. Section 8 starts with a 600-step climb up Sze Fong Shan , the fourth-tallest peak in Hong Kong. The trail flattens out near the summit of Sze Fong Shan — here, the mountain path is littered with boulders, but provides

4590-524: The grid zone or 100,000-meter square are clear from context, they can be dropped, and only the numerical location is specified. For example: One always reads map coordinates from west to east first (easting), then from south to north (northing). Common mnemonics include "in the house, up the stairs", "left-to-right, bottom-to-top" and "Read Right Up". As mentioned above, when converting UTM coordinates to an MGRS grid reference, or when abbreviating an MGRS grid reference to lower precision, one should truncate

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4680-482: The junction between Tai Mong Tsai Road and Pak Tam Road, around 500m due northeast from the Pak Tam Chung carpark, bus terminus, and visitor centre. The trail ascends along Tai Mong Tsai Road and continues along Sai Kung Man Yee Road, on the south side of the High Island Reservoir . About 4km from the start, the trail crosses the western dam of the reservoir, providing an expansive view over Kau Sai Chau , Chong Hing Water Sports Centre and Yuet Ming Pavilion. The pavilion

4770-468: The letters A–H, the columns of UTM zone 2 have the letters J–R (omitting O), and the columns of UTM zone 3 have the letters S–Z. At zone 4, the column letters start over from A, and so on around the world. For the row letters, there are actually two alternative lettering schemes within MGRS: If an MGRS coordinate is complete (with both a grid zone designation and a 100,000 meter square identification), and

4860-544: The main thoroughfare connecting Ma On Shan and Sai Kung . There are toilets, water refilling stations, and multiple barbeque areas near the endpoint. Section 4 traverses the Ma On Shan massif , connecting Ma On Shan Country Park with the mountains of Kowloon . The Section starts with a flight of concrete steps up to join the Kei Ling Ha Forest Track. 1.5 kilometres later, the trail merges with Chuk Yeung Road,

4950-422: The more precise polygon will remain within the boundaries of the less precise polygon. Related to this is the primacy of the southwest corner of the polygon being the labeling point for an entire polygon. In instances where the polygon is not a square and has been clipped by a grid zone junction, the polygon keeps the label of the southwest corner as if it had not been clipped. The first part of an MGRS coordinate

5040-479: The mountain ridge separating Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long . Shortly past the starting point is a viewing platform, overlooking Tsuen Wan and Stonecutters Bridge . Further along the trail, the Ho Pui Irrigation Reservoir can be seen towards the north. Situated in a deep valley, Ho Pui Reservoir serves as an important source of water for agriculture in the northwestern New Territories, and was voted one of

5130-474: The names of major London thoroughfares such as Shaftesbury Avenue and Regent Street . The view from the Redoubt and the main hiking trail overlooks Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung — both part of Tsuen Wan New Town , one of the older new towns developed in the early 1970s. Tai Mo Shan , the highest peak in Hong Kong, is also visible from this part of the trail. Section 6 ends by descending gently to Shing Mun Road on

5220-565: The night. Until October 2009, the trail ran along the full length of the road to the junction with Route Twisk , but now diverges mid-way onto a dirt path in a bid to segregate vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Section 8 ends on Route Twisk near the Rotary Club and the Tai Mo Shan Country Park Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre hosts the only kiosk in the area — its proprietor Kong Fo Lin, who had been nominated twice for

5310-498: The north of the Sai Kung peninsula . The event was first held in 2011 and has since been held annually. HK$ 862,557 was raised through the 2020 edition of the race, benefitting charities such as the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation and Food Angel . Sai Kung peninsula The Sai Kung Peninsula ( Chinese : 西貢半島 ; Jyutping : sai1 gung3 bun3 dou2 ) is a peninsula in the easternmost part of

5400-510: The north part of BT. At least, this is possible if the precision of the grid reference is enough to place the denoted area completely inside either 1P or 1Q. But an MGRS grid reference can denote an area that crosses a latitude band boundary. For example, when describing the entire square BT, should it be called 1PBT or 1QBT? Or when describing the 1000-meter square BT8569, should it be called 1PBT8569 or 1QBT8569? In these cases, software that interprets an MGRS grid reference should accept both of

5490-671: The northern part of Sai Kung Peninsula, they are under the administration of Tai Po District , due to their reliance on ferry transport from Tai Po for access before the construction of Sai Sha Road . From about the 14th century, fishing communities lived on boats in sheltered inlets on the peninsula. They later founded small coastal villages, building temples in honour of Tin Hau and Hung Shing in places of permanent anchorage. In addition to coastal fishing, there were small supporting industries of salt-making and boat building. Agricultural settlements began later and several villages already existed by

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5580-636: The old Kai Tak Airport . The trail from here runs along Shatin Pass Road , sharing the same route as Section 4 of the Wilson Trail until they reach Lion's Pavilion at Shatin Pass . A store at this crossroads act as an important refreshment point for hikers, but has in 2017 been prohibited by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department from serving hot food, despite having operated since 1960. The MacLehose Trail then enters

5670-514: The oldest surviving Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong. Other villages on the northern shore of High Island were flooded during the construction of the reservoir, displacing four hundred Hakka villagers. The trail leaves High Island onto the East Dam, where visitors are able to view hexagonal columnar jointing of volcanic tuff , an integral part of the UNESCO Global Geopark . Other attractions in

5760-495: The opening, the trail was marred by fires that broke out due to the reckless use of joss sticks by grave-sweepers on Chung Yeung Festival . Parts of the Tai Lam Country Park were badly burnt and said to take at least five years to regrow. The MacLehose Trail was instantly popular with long-distance hikers; multiple attempts were made to complete the 100-kilometer trail in under a day. The first reported sub-24-hour record

5850-464: The opposite direction, the Shing Mun Reservoir, Tsuen Wan, and Kwai Chung are clearly visible. The trail continues northwards on a descent equally as steep as the preceding ascent, and joins the paved Shing Mun Forest Track near distance post M130. The route follows the track up to just before the summit of Grassy Hill , where views stretch as far as Ma On Shan on a clear day. Branching off into

5940-547: The original Beacon Hill Tunnel was built for the Kowloon-Canton Railway in 1910. Section 5 starts by briefly following the Gilwell Camp access road northbound, then sharply swerves left to lead onto a mountain trail, skirting Tate's Cairn . The path then joins Fei Ngo Shan Road near Jat's Incline Viewpoint, which provides panoramic views over urban Kowloon, Hong Kong Island , Victoria Harbour , Lei Yue Mun , and

6030-510: The path opens up onto the Ngong Ping plateau, offering expansive views over Sai Kung Town and Port Shelter . In addition to being a hotspot for paragliding , there is an official campsite on the plateau. The Ma On Shan Country Trail runs parallel with the MacLehose Trail along the plateau, and provides exit routes towards Ma On Shan Town and Sai Kung Town . Continuing along Section 4, the trail passes through woodlands before reaching Mau Ping ,

6120-492: The possible latitude band letters. A practical motivation was given in the release notes for GEOTRANS, Release 2.0.2, 1999: The MGRS module was changed to make the final latitude check on MGRS to UTM conversions sensitive to the precision of the input MGRS coordinate string. The lower the input precision, the more "slop" is allowed in the final check on the latitude zone letter. This is to handle an issue raised by some F-16 pilots, who truncate MGRS strings that they receive from

6210-414: The precision of the coordinates provided. (In some cases, squares adjacent to a Grid Zone Junction (GZJ) are clipped, so polygon is a better descriptor of these areas.) The number of digits in the numerical location must be even: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10, depending on the desired precision. When changing precision levels, it is important to truncate rather than round the easting and northing values to ensure

6300-467: The provisioning of equipment such as picnic tables, litter bins, and barbeque pits. The Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, E.  H. "Ted" Nichols, announced in July 1975 that the Government planned on passing legislation to give country parks statutory status. As part of the plan, "Nature Trails" were proposed to "maximize understanding and consequent enjoyment of the countryside". The Country Parks Ordinance

6390-447: The result of both direct government planting and government-assisted village planting in the 1950s cover the hillslopes, are mostly in the western part of the Peninsula. Chinese red pine was the most important species planted and many of these old pines are now approaching senility and suffer from nematode attack. Fortunately the under-storey native broad-leafed trees are growing up to take their place. The long and irregular coastline of

6480-418: The results of the uniform cooling of tuff. This natural landscape is complemented by the nearby gigantic water works. Along the south-eastern coast and on the offshore islands that are exposed to the easterly winds and sea waves, interesting landforms such as sea caves, stacks, arches and inlets add to the beauty of the natural landscape. Grassland generally covers the hilltops, and across the Peninsula, there

6570-410: The side of Ngam Tau Shan, descending gently towards Cheung Sheung plateau. This area once housed multiple villages in the 1960s, but many villagers have moved away since the industrialisation of Hong Kong during the 1970s. The area is now a small campsite, with a small store open on holidays, partially utilising the former village school's recreational area. The area was far-flung and hard to access, and

6660-649: The silhouette. The MacLehose Trail is divided into ten sections of varying lengths and difficulties, as shown in the table below: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Easy [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Moderate [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Demanding [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Difficult [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Very Difficult Section 1 starts at

6750-424: The square, and the last 5 digits give the northing in meters, measured from the bottom edge of the square. The resolution in this case is 1 meter, so the MGRS coordinate would represent a 1-meter square, where the easting and northing are measured to its southwest corner. If a resolution of 10 meters is enough, the final digit of the easting and northing can be dropped, so that only 4 + 4 digits are used, representing

6840-576: The top ten attractions of Hong Kong. At the foot of the mountains are the rural communities of Shek Kong , Kam Tin , and Pat Heung , the idyllic scenery of which hikers can enjoy from the MacLehose Trail. Along the trail, flora such as skullcaps , mock strawberries , and Dichrocephala integrifolia can be found. The trail eventually descends from the mountain ridge and meanders through the woodland, before terminating at Tin Fu Tsai, two kilometres away from Tai Lam Chung Reservoir . Tin Fu Tsai Village

6930-680: The trail, and mobile network coverage is good virtually throughout. The MacLehose Trail celebrated its 40th anniversary on 26 October 2019, with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) holding celebratory events in Shing Mun Country Park , through which Sections 6 and 7 run. Events included treetop ropes courses , a hiking challenge up Needle Hill , guided war relic tours, and children's free play activities. Chan Yat-fong, veteran hiking organiser and trailblazer, and Stephen Chu, TV personality and avid hiker, both spoke at

7020-408: The trail. Hikers have been advised not to attempt the trail on their own, especially at night. On 23 November 1980, a group of 24 hikers were robbed when three of them were held at knifepoint. In 2018, a mainland Chinese man was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for serial robbery on hiking paths, including the MacLehose Trail at Ma On Shan . Emergency phones maintained by PCCW are dotted along

7110-516: The uplands of the Sai Kung peninsula, passing Wa Mei Shan and Lui Ta Shek. The trail then dips briefly into a small valley, before steeply ascending Kai Kung Shan . The view from the peak provides a 360-degree panorama over Three Fathoms Cove , Yim Tin Tsai , and other mountains in the Sai Kung West Country Park. Section 3 finishes by winding its way down to Kei Ling Ha and Sai Sha Road ,

7200-486: The vicinity include the dolosse wall lining the East Dam, a wooden boardwalk overlooking a sea cave , and a sea stack of hexagonal columns at Po Pin Chau. A blue monument in the shape of a dolos stands at the southern end of the dam, commemorating those who died in the construction of the High Island Reservoir. Section 1 ends 800m away from the East Dam near Long Ke , 90m above sea level. Section 2 starts with

7290-443: The way. The route as of January 2021 follows the MacLehose Trail from Pak Tam Chung to Tai Mo Shan , then descends to Route Twisk following the old pre-2009 route along Tai Mo Shan Road . The Trailwalker route then rejoins the MacLehose Trail but eventually diverges to follow the northern shore of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir . At the end of the reservoir, the route takes a sharp turn northwards towards Yuen Long to finally end at

7380-524: The western end of the New Territories, following a catchwater for much of its last section. In the 1970s, the Hong Kong Government, spearheaded by Sir Murray MacLehose, moved to protect Hong Kong's countryside and open it up for recreation. The first step towards the creation of country parks was the approval of a $ 33 million, five-year plan for "recreational development" in 1972, which included

7470-430: The year 1660. Economic development began in the middle of the 19th century when Hong Kong was opened as a port. There was especially a prosperous kiln industry producing lime, bricks and tiles for supply Hong Kong during the early days. Sheung Yiu Village, once opened as a Folk Museum, was a good example of a fortified settlement well known for lime-making in those days. Until 1970, the part of Sai Kung beyond Tai Mong Tsai

7560-521: Was achieved on 13 November 1979 by two British Army workmates, who completed the trail in 22 hours 25 minutes. The record was beaten not a month later by eleven locals; the fastest runner having traversed the trail in 18 hours 28 minutes. Numerous attempts have been made since then; the record as of May 2021 of 10 hours, 38 minutes, 8 seconds was set by Wong Ho-Chung, one of Hong Kong's best ultramarathon runners, on 4 December 2020. Isolated incidents of robbery happen infrequently on quieter parts of

7650-507: Was built on what was the High Island Detention Centre , which processed Vietnamese boat people from 1989 to 1998. Continuing onto High Island itself, minor trails branch off towards coastal villages, serving as their only land-based connection to the rest of Sai Kung . One such village is Pak Lap, a Hakka village with more than 300 years of history and home to a small, idyllic campsite. Another village, Tung A, houses one of

7740-399: Was completed in 1937, many buildings of which is now of Grade I protected status. The construction of the dam necessitated the relocation of 855 villagers from eight Hakka villages, but provided Hong Kong with 13 million cubic metres of water storage capacity. The hiking trail braches off into a dirt path shortly after crossing the dam, marking the start of a steep ascent up Needle Hill , along

7830-544: Was consequently one of the last rural settlements in Hong Kong. Wildlife like South China tigers , muntjacs , and wild boars were spotted, but soon declined in numbers due to deforestation by local Hakka villagers. Smaller animals such as pangolins and porcupines retreated into the remaining forests. From the campsite, the Cheung Sheung Country Trail provides an escape route via Jacob's Ladder to Yung Shue O . The MacLehose Trail continues southwards through

7920-650: Was enacted and came into effect in 1976, and the Country Parks Board was formed shortly thereafter. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries under Nichols "joined up village paths and grass cutters' tracks" to form a trail extending from Mirs Bay to Castle Peak , and Nichols named the trail after MacLehose and his wife, both avid ramblers. After nine months' work, the MacLehose Trail was officially opened on 26 October 1979 by MacLehose and Nichols. The trail opened with 12 campsites along its route, equipped with simple toilet facilities and barbeque pits. Only days after

8010-550: Was founded by the Choi clan 300 years ago, housing several hundred villagers at its peak — it was considered an influential village in the region. Now, few villagers remain, but a medium-sized campsite equipped with barbeque pits and rudimentary toilet facilities is situated nearby. Section 10 is the longest section of the MacLehose Trail. Continuing off Section 9, the trail follows the Tai Lam Forest Track towards Kat Hing Bridge,

8100-525: Was still remote, reachable only on foot or by kai-tos (local ferry). However work started in 1971 to create the High Island Reservoir , with a capacity of 273,000,000 cubic metres (9.6 × 10  cu ft), by closing off both ends of the Kwun Mun Channel which separated the High Island from the main peninsula. In 1979, the project was completed, providing also two new roads to the area. Since then,

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