MacLehose Trail
As you might have realised by now, I am a big fan of hiking! One of the most challenging hikes I have ever done is called the MacLehose Trail which is in Hong Kong and covers 100km from east to west, starting in Pak Tam Chung and ending in Tuen Mun. This hike is famous due to an annual event where people will complete the entire hike for charity in groups of four, called the Oxfam Trailwalker challenge. I didn't complete it as part of the charity event as I was due to leave Hong Kong before the next one took place, so I packed my hiking backpack, my tent, and a head-torch and took on the whole trail solo!
This hike is separated in to 10 parts, and each part is easily accessible by public transport, so if you don't feel like taking on the whole 100km in one go you could do it over 10 separate days, heading home to sleep in a comfortable bed in between. You can see how to get to each of the start points, and how difficult each section is here. If you are aiming to complete the whole hike in one go the first start point is at the entrance to the Pak Tam Chung country park, to get there take the 94 bus from Sai Kung town and get off at the Pak Tam Chung terminal next to the barrier gate to the country park.
From there the trail is easy to follow, with sign posts every 500m telling you where you are in case of emergency, and to help you to follow the correct route. Overall the trail is straightforward, and you would have a hard time getting lost or losing the trail, just be aware of these sign posts just in case.
The different sections of the trail do vary in difficulty and length, and in my opinion the most difficult section was section 8, although by this point I was very tired and it was almost all a gradual up-hill climb. I found sections 1 and 2 to be the easiest and most pleasant part of the whole trail, travelling across different beaches. If you are planning on camping along the route, I recommend pitching at one of the many beaches, Tai Long Wan is a famous camping spot, though you might not get a good night of sleep as it is especially popular with students and young people.
If you plan on doing the whole hike, you should have a good level of fitness as some of the sections are very steep and have rocky terrain to climb. If you are looking for a more relaxed hike I would suggest either aiming to do section 1 which is about 10km long, but is all flat and is mostly along a paved road. In this section you will cross a dam on the High Island reservoir which is regarded as one of the most beautiful reservoirs in Hong Kong! At the end of section 1 you will either have the option to take a taxi back to the MTR, or continue to the beach in section 2, but this is a slightly more challenging hike as it is rougher terrain and has a few hills, that said it would be very do able for the majority of healthy people.
Another section which is not too difficult is section 6, this section is very short at only 4.6km and is easily accessible at the start and end of the section by public transport. To get to the start of this trail, take the number 82 mini bus from Shui Wo Street near to Tsuen Wan MTR station, and get off at Shing Mun Country Park, the entrance to the trail is at the end of Shing Mun road. From there, follow the signs. Most of this section is either paved roads, or dirt service roads. At the end of this section you can either take the 81 or 72 buses back to the MTR. While this part of the trail is short, you should be aware that you will come across wild monkeys and the occasional cow, overall they are not violent at all and they will ignore you unless you have food. Make sure all food is safely stored away where they can't see it, for example at the bottom of your backpack.
In total this entire 100km hike took me around 28 hours to complete (not including the time that I slept), which I believe is around the average for people that compete in the Trailwalker challenge. The Wikipedia page for the hike predicts that it will take 35.5 hours, and the fastest time that I know of is a French team who completed the trail in 11 hours and 12 minutes! There are places along the trail where you can stop to get food, for example on the beaches, but make sure to pack enough food based on how long you think the trail will take you. I would always suggest to pack more than you think you will need in case of an emergency.
This hike will test your limits and I highly recommend trying to complete the whole thing, either in one go if you're fit and like the challenge, or one or two sections at a time if you're more of a casual hiker.