The South Lantau Water Catchment Maintenance Road (catchy name) is Hong Kong's longest stretch of motorist free road and offers lovely views out over Cheung Sha's nudist beach. (I'll cover that, or should I say uncover that, in another blog post, so be sure to subscribe for updates!)
The most popular section of the road is from Pui O out to Cheung Cha, but it can be enjoyed past Shek Pik reservoir with hikers and cyclists alike using the route to extend their trip out to Fan Lau fort in the south-western tip of Lantau.
For my excursion I was luckily collected by very long term South Lantau resident Steve Coward and his awesome truck. I first met Steve through our kids but today I was meeting him on a sunny Wednesday morning in Tung Chung which made me very happy indeed as it saved me the massive ride up the Tung Chung Road and up over Pak Kung Au. With a quick check of my tires, we secured my bike in the back of Steve's vehicle and headed off in search of adventure.
Steve's sense of adventure is a little different to the rest of us. An exciting day for me is trying a new fruit. For Steve, it's riding all the way from the UK to China. The stories he comes out with - riding most of the length of Thailand solo, for example - never cease to amaze from such a quiet and unassuming chap.
How To Find It?
There are a lot of little access points to join the catchwater road, but today we decided to join it just past Tong Fuk above Upper Cheung Sha beach and were joined by Steve's business partner Nick sporting a seriously impressive full-suspension mountain bike. We set off up a really steep hill (it seemed steep to me, not so much Steve and Nick!) to join the catch-water road. The climb was only a 5 minute pedal but my years out of the saddle were telling. After I regained by breath, and my composure, we made a start along the road, west, towards Shek Pik. The road is loved by local hikers, cyclists and runners alike due to its relative flat even surface and lack of motorised vehicles. It's a good 10ft drop from the road into the water catchment and was told by Steve that the railings were a fairly recent addition. I do adore Hong Kong's random safety choices.
We only covered about a 6.5km section of the trail on this visit and I can't wait to go back and enjoy the rest. Steve told me he takes folk on guided tours of Hong Kong's best trails, as well as the relatively new Mui Wo bike park through his business Mountain Bike Hong Kong (MTHK).
So if you're looking for something different to do on a weekend with the kids, a loved one or your colleagues, MTBHK has you covered.