Since the start of the Covid pandemic in early 2020, overseas holiday trips have been out of the question for the majority of Hong Kong residents due to the tight travel restrictions, or more precisely, the mandatory long quarantine on the return. Many thus turn to 'staycations' in local hotels, flock to the outlying islands on a weekend, or take up hiking as a family activity. It was therefore no surprise that even without overseas tourists, we found Victoria Peak to be teeming with local visitors on a fine morning during the Chinese New Year holidays last year.
This time, instead of just going round the popular circular trail, which we have done on numerous occasions, we went through the Victoria Peak Garden up Mount Austin Road and climbed up to High West summit, before rejoining the Lugard Road portion of the circular trail.
 |
| Our loop circuit from the Peak Tower to High West Summit and back |
 |
| This fairly recent installation provides a handy background for a must-take selfie |
Mount Austin Playground is more than a playground. It has a small but very pleasant garden adorned with a wide variety of beautiful flowers in multiple colours --- yellow peonies and violet dahlias among others. A two-tier water fountain, encircled by violet dahlia flowers nicely arranged, serves as the centre-piece. Bright red flowers in large stone pots placed pedestals line the sides of the garden.
 |
| Yellow peonies in bloom at Mount Austin Playground |
 |
| Violet dahlia |
 |
| The centre-piece fountain at the Mount Austin Playground |
Continuing up Mount Austin Road, one comes to an elegant while stone lodge with large sky-blue window and door frames. That is the Gate Lodge, or the guard house of the former Mountain Lodge, which was the summer residence of the Governor of Hong Kong.
 |
| Historic monument --- Gate Lodge, or the guard house of the former Mountain Lodge |
From the Garden, there is a trail that goes down to the junction of Lugard Road and Harlech Road, joining the Victoria Peak circular trail.
 |
| Line of hikers on High West |
 |
| Towards High West |
 |
| Sign at the start of the trail up High West |
The information board says that from the start of the trek up to High West Summit, the climb of 650m in distance takes 30 minutes. The climb is not too difficult, and there were plenty of young children as well as people possibly in the sixties or seventies going up along with us. With the fair number of hikers walking in line on the narrow trek, everyone had to walk with about the same pace, as it was difficult to squeeze past the person in front while others were coming down on the same trek. A reward for reaching the summit is the superb 180-degree view, spanning from the south-west, looking down Aberdeen and Lamma Island, to the north towards West Kowloon.
 |
| Telecommunication antennas on Victoria Peak |
 |
| View of Aberdeen and Lamma Island |
 |
| Aberdeen Reservoir |
|
Reaching the High West Summit. Hikers had to take turn to take selfies besides this signage board.
|
 |
| View of Stonecutters Island and West Kowloon from West High summit |
 |
| New Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter in West Kowloon |
 |
| Off the beaten track |
 |
| Couldn't resist taking another photo of the clear blue sky before the return down the hill |
Back down at the junction of Hatton, Lugard and Harleck Roads, for the return journey we took the turn left onto Lugard Road, that is, the northern section of the Victoria Peak circular trail. On this fine day with the crisp blue sky, the classic panoramic view of the Hong Kong cityscape on both sides of the Victoria Harbour was impeccable.
 |
| From the Western District to Central on Hong Kong Island |
 |
| West Kowloon Cultural District. In front of the prominent ICC stands the recently opened M+ museum, with the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the high speed rail, and the Xiqu (Chinese Opera) Centre further on the right. |
The view towards the east was just as spectacular.
 |
| Hong Kong cityscape --- Sheng Wan to Causeway Bay |
 |
| The two highest skyscrapers in Hong Kong --- the ICC on Kowloon and the IFC 2 on Hong Kong Island -- standing on two sides of the Victoria Harbour |
That led us back to where we started the trail --- the imposing Peak Tower and the newly renovated Peak Galleria.
 |
| The Peak Tower stands at the end of Lugard Road |
 |
| Peak Tower |
 |
| Glass wall of the renovated Peak Galleria |
No comments:
Post a Comment