Wilson Trail Section 8&9 | San Uk Ka to Tai Mei Tuk

WEB EDIT May 03, 2023

We continued our journey where we left off at San Uk Ka Village, our destination is to head up Cloudy Hill (Wilson Trail Section 8) and then continue to Section 9 which goes along the Pat Sing Leng Ridge before ending the hike at Tai Mei Tuk.

This route is challenging, overcoming a series of stairs that goes up and down, occasional steep climbs, and descends along dirt paths and rocky trails with loose gravel. Lastly enduring the long distance of the hike, which includes elevation gain and loss.

When trying this route, one should be an experienced hiker, able to hike long distances and be physically fit.

Distance: 23km

Duration: 8.5 hours (Including rest & photos)

Difficulty: 4/5 Intermediate to Advance (Due to distance and elevation gain)

The hike is relatively easy from San Uk Ka to Tai Po Tao, mainly along the road with a short section of trail in the beginning. Once we reached Tai Po Tau Drive at the start of the trail heading up Cloudy Hill it was an immediate uphill climb along a series of stairs.

There are plenty of rest areas along the way, it’s best to sit and hydrate or refuel when needed.

We reached the junction of the Wilson Trail Section 8 and Section 9 at the top of the final ascend before continuing a few meters up the summit of Cloudy Hill. The summit point is located at the transmission station, and the view was not visible as it was obstructed by trees and bushes.

We continued to follow Section 9 in the direction of Hok Tau Reservoir, the trail is pretty much along a dirt path and occasionally descends along stone steps. The final descent toward the Reservoir is along a quite steep stair, be careful and hold onto the handrail.

It's a short relaxing walk along the Hok Tau Reservoir before we reach the Hok Tau Reservoir Family Walk, we took a short break at the pavilion before heading up the trail again toward Pat Sing Leng Ridge.

This is another challenging section as the trails ascend steep stone steps before it gradually flattens on the way toward Wong Leng.

As the Section 9 trail passes alongside Wong Leng, we visited the summit before resuming the trail toward Pat Sing Leng 8 Immortals Ridge.

We are yet to face our last challenge, traversing the 8 Immortals. This route travels along stairs that go up and down each hill summit where the name of Immortal is displayed on a signage board, it can be hard and challenging, especially when are hours into the hike already.

We recommend taking your time during the ascend and trying to rest a few minutes on each hill before descending and climbing back again.

Once we reach the last Immortal hill (Hsien Ku Fung) this also marks the end of the Wilson Trail Section 9 and Section 10 begin while descending the steps heading down toward the signage of Bride’s Pool Road.

At this point, we are 7.5 hours into the hike and decided to continue the remaining Section 10 of the Wilson Trail on our next adventure. Once at the bottom of the steps, we now stand at the junction where the sign points left to Bride’s Pool and the right points to Tai Mei Tuk.

We took the one on the right heading toward Tai Mei Tuk which goes along the Pat Sing Leng Nature Trail that ends down at the Pat Sing Leng/ Plover Cove Country Park, from there the walk is about 10 minutes to Tai Mei Tuk Bus Terminal.

There are restaurants to eat in at Tai Mei Tuk if you need to replenish your lost calories from the long journey.

We recommend bringing at least 2 liters of water or more when it is a hot day, bring also food as well as snacks as you will need the energy for climbing a series of long stairs and hills along the way.

Wear appropriate hiking apparel, and bring a windbreaker as the weather can suddenly be windy or cold on the mountaintop. We also recommend bringing a pair of hiking poles and wearing comfortable good grip hiking shoes during your adventure.