HIKE 5: Sha Tin Round Trip your route your toilet MTR station station trig. road food building(s) summary: 1km N 500m scale 1: 50 000 scale 1: town village pagoda bus stop path helpline temple 0 starting point: Fo Tan Tan Fo Sha Tin MTR station Sha Tin Sha getting to start: Go to Sha Tin MTR station on the East Rail Line. START/FINISH Tin Liu Tin description: The hike starts at Sha Tin station and passes through Tin Liu village before climbing to a large cross with a dramatic view across Sha Tin and the hills Greenwood Terrace Greenwood in the background. We then pass through a calm church complex before Tai Po Kau Po Tai beginning a long climb which ends at the MacLehose Trail. We now climb Needle Hill before descending and following the Shing Mun Jogging Trail for 5km. After this we follow a hidden path which contains an overgrown climb before walking along a peaceful, green contour trail. We then rejoin Wong Chuk Yeung the MacLehose Trail briefly before walking back down to Sha Tin station. getting home: Grassy Hill Grassy Take the train from Sha Tin MTR station on the East Rail Line. WARNINGS: Needle Hill There are many monkeys to be found around Shing Mun reservoir. If you see some please try not to interact with them - just watch. Do not carry any MacLehose Trail MacLehose loose plastic bags containing food, for these will merely tempt the monkeys into being ........ monkeys!! hike Xsection: Lead Mine Pass 1000 900 Shing Mun Reservoir Mun Shing 800 join concrete road 700 Needle Hill 600 end of jogging trail 500 church ALTITUDE (m) ALTITUDE 400 300 200 to Tsuen Wan Tsuen to 100 0 2 4 6 8 10121416182022242628 DISTANCE (km) <100m 101-200m 201-300m 301-400m 401-500m 501-600m 601-700m 701-800m 801-900m >900m Tai Mo Shan Mo Tai Sha Tin Round Trip 43 **GETTING TO START** Take the MTR to Sha Tin station. right. Ignore the small path to your left after about 10m. 0.00 **START** +50m You reach a clearing with a large, white cross (see photo on page From Sha Tin MTR station take the exit leading to the bus 49). terminus and turn left. You pass the bus terminus to your right. Turn left at the clearing with the cross, walk for about 30m If you take the exit into the shopping plaza, turn left and then and pass through the white gate with Chinese characters on it. left again at the bus terminus and you pass the aforementioned Continue upwards along the concrete path. exit to your left after about 10m. +100m Turn left at the end of the concrete path, following the clear +50m Turn right and walk down the large concrete pedestrian walkway. path which becomes paved after about 5m. Ignore the wide mud This is signposted ‘Grand Central Plaza’, ‘Shatin Government paths ahead of you and to your right. Continue along your fl at Offices’ and ‘Taxi Stand’. path. Ignore steps or paths going down to your left. +100m Turn sharp left at the bottom of the ramp, signposted ‘To Fung +190m Climb the steps to your right leading into a complex with a Shan’. You pass directly in between the end of the ramp and the large pagoda-like church directly in front of you. ‘Sha Tin Country Trails’ map. You pass a village square and a +60m Turn left just in front of the ‘Pai Tau Village’ sign to your right. large pagoda-like church, +50m Climb the concrete stairs going passing through a small round up the hill slightly to your archway after about 10m, right, signposted ‘To Fung (Figure 2). Continue through Shan’ and ‘Sha Tin Trail’, the small garden with a mist (Figure 1). Ignore the steps fountain and through the leading to the private houses second small round archway. Figure 2: Pass through the small, round and the fl at concrete path +40m Turn left immediately after the archway to your left. slightly to the left, signposted Figure 1: Take the concrete stairs and second archway. You pass through a rock labyrinth after about ‘Pai Tau Village’. walk up the hill through the village. 70m. +60m Continue uphill along the right branch of the path. Ignore the +120m Turn right at the road, which is ‘To Fung Shan Road’. Continue left branch of the path which is fl at. along the road you are on. Ignore any smaller paths, roads Continue along the main path up the hill. Ignore the many and driveways. After about 200m you start passing the white other paths or steps that branch off to your left and right. buildings of the ‘Lutheran Th eological Seminary’ and about 80m +440m Turn right at the large road with the roundabout, signposted after this the road will climb quite steadily. ‘To Fung Shan’. Th is road is ‘To Fung Shan Road’. +530m **ATTENTION** Continue +120m **ATTENTION** About 120m after the roundabout, just straight ahead up the hill, beyond house number 31, turn right up the concrete stairs, signposted ‘to MacLehose signposted ‘Ascension House’. Do not continue along the road. Trail’, walking through the wide gate (it should be open), +70m Take the path to the right at the fork in the path, signposted (Figure 3). Do not continue ‘Ascension House’. Ignore the narrow path climbing straight along the road you are on which ahead of you which leads to a house and the path to the left. goes down to the left. Th e road Figure 3: Walk through the large open +80m Continue up the stairs as you pass Ascension House to your you follow becomes a path after gate and continue along the path. about 30m. 44 Sha Tin Round Trip TTotal:otal: 00.97.97kkmm TTotal:otal: 22.06.06kkmm Sha Tin Round Trip 45 +260m Turn right, signposted ‘to MacLehose Trail’, climbing the stairs paths which lead off to your left or right. up the hill. Do not continue along the fl at mud path you are on +5000m **ATTENTION** Turn right which bends to the left. at the road, walk about 10m +140m Continue straight ahead through the clearing at the top of the and then turn left. Immediately hill, signposted ‘to MacLehose Trail’. on your left follow the 9 small +100m Continue straight ahead, climbing the stairs steeply uphill. concrete stairs twisting up the Th ere is a wooden post at this junction. Ignore the fl attish mud side of the hill, (Figure 5). Th ere paths to the left and right. You pass through a small clearing after is a sign here labelled ‘Shing about 140m. Mun Forest Track - Reservoir Figure 5: Follow the concrete stairs up Section. Your Location: KK the side of the hill. +450m Continue straight ahead at the two pylons, passing the pylons 071793’. Your path soon becomes a broad mud path. Do not walk to your right. Ignore the smaller right branch of the path. You along the road in either direction, signposted ‘Reservoir Walk’. will start climbing again after about 100m. +720m **ATTENTION** At the very +630m Turn left at the top of the hill, signposted ‘to MacLehose Trail’. small junction walk straight Ignore the path to the right, signposted ‘to Greenwood Terrace’. ahead slightly to the right +320m Turn left at the concrete road, signposted ‘Needle Hill’. Do not along the small, overgrown go right, signposted ‘Lead Mine Pass’. You are on the MacLehose path which climbs steeply, Trail and pass mileage post M131 on your left after about 130m. (Figure 6). Do not continue +820m Continue straight ahead when the road ends, walking along the along the main path which path and beginning the steep climb up Needle Hill. goes down towards your left Figure 6: Take the central path steeply +480m and ignore the very small path up the hill at the minor junction. **TRIG. STATION** Continue straight ahead at the top of going down to your right. Th e path you are on climbs steadily Needle Hill, beginning your descent. You pass mileage post and then bends to the right and fl attens out after about 230m. It M128 on your left after about 480m. may be slightly overgrown but is always possible to follow. +1660m Turn left at the road just after passing through the ‘Welcome to +650m Turn sharp right, walking down the steep hill at the clear inter- Shing Mun Country Park’ arch. Th e road bends sharply to the section with a wider mud path. Do not turn left along the fl atter right after about 20m and you reach Shing Mun Reservoir main path. Your path becomes a fl attish contour trail after about 100m. dam about 40m after this. +1490m +70m Turn left at the concrete road, walking up the hill. You are next **ATTENTION** Continue to a sign labelled ‘Shing Mun Forest Track - Needle Hill Section. straight ahead along the small Your Location: KK 075792’. concrete path, signposted +1010m ‘Wilson Trail’ and ‘Shing Continue straight ahead along the road, signposted ‘Needle Mun Jogging Trail’, walking Hill’. Ignore the road climbing to your left, signposted ‘Grassy with the reservoir to your left, Hill / Lead Mine Pass’. +430m (Figure 4). Do not turn left Figure 4: Continue along the jogging **ATTENTION** Turn left at the clearing with benches. Th ere across the main dam. Your trail at the main dam. is a sign here labelled ‘Shing Mun Forest Track - Needle Hill path becomes a mud path after about 130m and you pass mileage Section.