MacLehose Trail

History

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 the provisioning of equipment such as picnic tables, litter bins, and barbecue 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 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 barbecue pits.

Only days after 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 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 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 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 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 a talk organised by the AFCD for the occasion.

Route description

The MacLehose Trail is divided into ten sections of varying lengths and difficulties, as shown in the table below:

Easy

Moderate

Demanding

Difficult

Very Difficult

Sai Kung

Central New Territories

Western New Territories

Sporting events

Trailwalker

Main article: Trailwalker

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 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.

HK100

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 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.

References

References

1. (15 June 1972). "$33m boost for recreation in Hongkong". South China Morning Post.
2. (9 July 1975). "Country parks, nature trails for recreation and education". South China Morning Post.
3. (14 August 1976). "New laws on country parks". South China Morning Post.
4. (1998). "The MacLehose Trail". The Chinese University Press.
5. (15 December 2019). "MacLehose Trail evokes memories". Information Services Department.
6. (27 October 1979). "Sir Murray—the trailblazer". South China Morning Post.
7. (1 November 1979). "New trail scarred by fires". South China Morning Post.
8. (14 November 1979). "Army pair conquer MacLehose Trail". South China Morning Post.
9. (10 December 1979). "'Trail-blazers' beat the Army". South China Morning Post.
10. (7 December 2020). "Wong Ho-Chung sets MacLehose fastest time with 'perfect' run thanks to mental maturity". South China Morning Post.
11. (24 November 1980). "24 hikers are robbed on trail". South China Morning Post.
12. (30 January 2018). "How stolen iPhone led to knife-wielding robber who targeted women hikers". South China Morning Post.
13. (4 December 2020). "Office of the Communications Authority - Digital Map".
14. (23 October 2019). "MacLehose Trail 40th Anniversary Celebration Day to be held (with photos)".
15. (13 May 2020). "野Guide - Hon陳溢晃專訪 — 分享半世紀遠足見聞".
16. (9 October 2013). "GW262：朱翁朱維德".
17. "What's New: Programme Highlights - MacLehose Trail 40th Anniversary".
18. "Public Talk: The Legendary MacLehose Trail".
19. "Distance Posts of MacLehose Trail".
20. (22 February 2020). "[認識麥理浩徑] 標誌設計師 本地藝術家唐景森".
21. "Who is the person on the MacLehose Trail logo?".
22. "MacLehose Trail".
23. "MacLehose Trail (Section 10)Tin Fu Tsai to Tuen Mun".
24. "About Hiking".
25. (27 May 1998). "High Island camp closes after 9 years". South China Morning Post.
26. "Pak Lap Campsite".
27. (2010). "Hong Kong MacLehose Trail". Play Images Communication Ltd.
28. "MacLehose Trail Section 1".
29. "Best Routes of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark".
30. (August 1995). "The MacLehose Trail". The Alternative Press.
31. "MacLehose Trail Section 1".
32. "MacLehose Trail Section 2".
33. "Residents' Service Route No. NR29".
34. "Sai Wan Campsite".
35. "Kaito Ferry Service Details".
36. "MacLehose Trail (Section 3) Pak Tam Chung to Kei Ling Ha".
37. "MacLehose Trail Section 3".
38. "Cheung Sheung Campsite".
39. "Water Filling Stations".
40. (October 2003). "MacLehose Trail". Friends of the Country Parks/Cosmos Books Ltd.
41. "MacLehose Trail Section 4".
42. "黃竹洋 - 沙田今昔 - 馬鞍山民康促進會".
43. (28 November 2020). "昂平滑翔傘勝地 Paragliding at Ngong Ping". Master Insight Media.
44. "Ngong Ping Campsite".
45. "MacLehose Trail Section 5".
46. "Wong Tai Sin District - Spots". Home Affairs Department.
47. (12 June 2017). "發哥再見山水豆腐花 「獅子亭」士多被禁售熟食臨結業". 香港經濟日報 - TOPick.
48. "Lion Rock Country Park".
49. "Functions of Various Air Traffic Control Equipment for the Airport".
50. "MacLehose Trail Section 5".
51. "MacLehose Trail Section 6".
52. "Atlas of Poisonous Plants in Hong Kong - A Clinical Toxicology Perspective".
53. "5 Historic Structures of Kowloon Reservoir - Declared Monuments".
54. "MacLehose Trail Section 6".
55. "Shing Mun War Relics Trail".
56. "New Towns, New Development Areas and Urban Developments".
57. "Shing Mun Country Park".
58. (9 April 2021). "A guide to hiking the MacLehose Trail from sections 4 to 6". South China Morning Post.
59. "MacLehose Trail Section 7".
60. "Shing Mun Reservoir".
61. (9 April 2021). "A guide to hiking the MacLehose Trail from sections 7 to 10". South China Morning Post.
62. "MacLehose Trail Section 7".
63. "Lead Mine Pass Campsite".
64. "MacLehose Trail Section 8".
65. (11 January 2021). "Hong Kong security bureau says Tai Mo Shan radar station with 'follow the party' slogan houses comms installation for defence purposes". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP.
66. "MacLehose Trail Section 8".
67. "Tai Mo Shan Country Park".
68. (2007). "Streets: Exploring Kowloon". Hong Kong University Press.
69. "【一起行山闖蕩去】 麥理浩徑第8段".
70. (5 November 2019). "'It's not just a kiosk': Race celebrates Tai Mo Shan's Lin Jie". South China Morning Post.
71. (7 February 2018). "Tai Mo Shan: How to tackle Hong Kong's highest peak". CNN.
72. "Rotary Park Campsite".
73. "MacLehose Trail Section 9".
74. "MacLehose Trail Section 9".
75. "Tai Lam Country Park".
76. "MacLehose Trail (Section 9) Route Twisk to Tin Fu Tsai".
77. "Tin Fu Tsai Campsite".
78. "MacLehose Trail Section 10".
79. (5 November 2014). "MacLehose Trail Section 10 - Tai Lam Chung Reservoir".
80. (20 October 2020). "5 Places To See Autumn Leaves In Hong Kong".
81. "Thousand Islands: Reservoir Island viewpoint in Tai Lam Country Park".
82. (11 December 2020). "How to hike to Tai Lam Chung Reservoir (Thousand Island Lake)".
83. "【一起行山闖蕩去】 麥理浩徑第10段".
84. "Trailwalker Route, Checkpoint Distances & Elevation, Checkpoints (CPs), Transportation to the Finish Point".
85. "「樂施毅行者2020 / Oxfam Trailwalker 2020」".
86. "Leader Board".
87. "About Trailwalker".
88. (27 February 2019). "【逆走100】蔡東豪談逆走麥理浩徑視野完全不同 行雞公山最辛苦". 香港01.
89. "逆走100".
90. "Virtual Trail Run".
91. "2020 HK100 - Course description".
92. "2011-2020 Results".
93. "Charities".