The fourth section of the Maclehose Trail is one of my personal favorites – its challenging, its long, it has different kinds of terrain, and it is filled with spectacular views along the way.
Difficulty : 4/5
View : 4/5
Distance : 12.7 km
Est. Time Req. : 5 hrs
To get to the starting point, take bus 299X from Sha Tin Railway Station and alight at Shui Long Wo. Turn right and walk straight (i.e. in the direction of the bus) and you will reach a BBQ pit and public washroom in about 5 minutes. Cross the road and begin the hike!
After a steep rather steep incline of 30+mins, take the left and head downhill.
Take the left into the woodland.
After the short hike in the woodland, the first tough incline will begin, bringing you up to an elevation of about 540m.
Don’t forget to enjoy the hard-earned scenery when you’ve reached the top.
Continue with the hike and you will reach a pavilion – take the one leading to Gilwell Campsite.
You will be at an open field after a short hike from the pavilion.
When you’ve reached an intersection with a map, you have reached the half-way point of Maclehose Trail 4.
It will be about 30 mins downhill hike and you will reach another pavilion where you can rest. There are many paths out of the trail – take the uphill closest to the pavilion. Remember to take some rest before continuing with the hike – this will be another tough 20-30mins incline.
When you are at the top, the next 40-50 mins of the trail will be a mix of stone steps, dirt path trails, and rocky trails.
Head towards Tate’s Cairne when you are at an intersection on a concrete path.
After about 10-20mins of hike, get ready for the last uphill of Maclehose Section 4. This will be 10-20 minutes of steps.
Head downhill through the road after the ordeal….though Mac 4 is not finished yet.
Continue down the road until you’ve reached a store selling cup noodles and drinks. That is the endpoint.
Exiting Maclehose Trail 4 back to ‘civilization’ can be tricky. I recommend walking towards the starting point of Trail 5 and then continue downhill to either Tze Wan Shan or Wong Tai Sin.
HKExplorer 