Tai Po is separated from the other northern suburbs by a set of tall hills. A relatively easy and scenic hike is up to Cloudy Hill, which stands at over 440m tall. Part of the Wilson Trail's Stage 8, access is quite easy from Tai Wo station by heading west along Po Nga Road, crossing a major intersection, and going through the underpass beneath the train tracks on your right to Tai Po Tau village.
The trail is well sign-posted and begins with a staircase.
The initial section is shaded with lots of paved steps.
Along the way, there are many rest stops, either in the form of a nice pavilion or a makeshift shade with a few chairs inside.
On the other side of the hill are lowrise bedroom communities such as Hong Lok Yuen.
Tai Po's built-up area is actually not that big but it has a nice setting with Tolo Harbour views.
Ahead are many more steps and the plants are no longer that tall to give meaningful shade. However, the views get better and better to encourage you to continue.
At this rest stop, the view opens up to the northern suburbs on the other side. This signals the end of the paved trail and it will be a dirt path for much of the way.
You can see Shenzhen's tallest building on the left. They have an observation deck high up but admission is quite steep.
I chose to hike only Stage 8 today, which is a small section as Stage 9 continues through a far more challenging set of hills further north.
A bit higher up, I could see across much of Shenzhen's skyline from Lowu all the way to Nanshan.
There was some construction activity at the top, which has a small rest area with a few benches. There are telecommunications facilities up here although the views are not much different than the long way up. More ambitious hikers can extend their journey to Hok Tau or Lau Shui Heung reservoirs.
Towards the east, the suburb of Ma On Shan is on the other side of Tolo Harbour.
I chose to return back to Tai Po instead of continuing to the reservoir. Check out the return journey here. While there are many steps, the hike is not particularly difficult and there are many rest pavilions along the way to break up the long ascent. The dirt paths are a bit slippery with many small rocks so best to hike on a sunny day. Aim to go at around midday when the sun is straight above you so you can enjoy the views on both sides without photographing against the light. |