[PDLM]

Well the two suggestions are rather from one extreme to the other.

For novices I would try to find a route which has a mixture of paved and unpaved paths and a number of points en route that people could conveniently drop out or join, and where easy reroutes could be made depending on how people are feeling.

As an example, the walk from the mid-levels to Stanley is a good one for people whose fitness and/or motivation is unknown...

Start with a gentle walk along the paved, but largely pedestrianised, Bowen Road, then give the legs a bit of a workout with the 8-10minute climb up to Wanchai Gap, and then a bit more on the flat (& paved) along Black's Link to Wong Nai Chung Gap. At this point (about 70-90 mins from the start) you should be warmed up, and the route has already taken in great views of both the north and south sides of HK Island. But if people have had enough they can simply drop out at Wong Nai Chung Gap, either to go home or to get a bus down to Stanley while the rest walk on.

So next the route goes over Violet Hill, taking the path on the downhill side of the reservoir. This is serious "off road" hiking - quite steep and not paved (except for a few slabs to try to reduce the erosion); but it isn't overgrown or otherwise very difficult. It is steep enough though that it once put a (very unfit) colleague in hospital when he unwisely wanted to join me on a day when it was 30+ degrees. The views from the top of Violet Hill on a clear day are stunning.

Then proceed down the south side of the hill on a path which now a lot more (although not entirely) "improved" (i.e. paved) to the saddle above Repulse Bay and below The Twins. You now have yet more options:
1) Cop out and take the path down to Repulse Bay (although short, this isn't the easiest path in the world either), and then a bus on to Stanley.
2) Take the easy route for 3km on the concrete catchwater path around The Twins.
3) Go straight on up the 950+300 steps over the top.

2) & 3) come back together just above the Stanley Road and there you pick up a bus for the last kilometre or two into Stanley (because the road has lots of traffic, no sidewalks and is a little unsafe to walk).

If you walk the whole lot you'll be in Stanley between 2hr45 and 4hr30 after you started at the beginning of Bowen Road, depending on how fit people are, the temperature and so on...

Then, however everyone got there, you can meet up again for a celebratory beer/pizza/whatever in somewhere like Wildfire.

[jameso]

actually forget it

[tonkfodder]

Sounds like a great plan PDLM count me in. I have done a fair bit of hiking etc in the past but agree with previous threads it would be good to have someone that knows the local path especially when with a group of different levels of experience.

How do we get this one organised is it possible for Alice to organise who is going, dates times etc and PDLM to act as local guide?

Sorry to volounteer people just dont know hong very well and would be nice to do some hiking as my flat in Sha tin looks out on to the mountains every morning.

What does everyone think? This weekend might be too close but how about next weekend on Sunday 16th?

[PDLM]

The hills around Shatin are nicer in many ways than those on HK Island, but I must admit I'm pretty lazy when it comes to long trips into the NTs to start a hike - in fact I haven't been hiking anywhere north of the Lion Rock range for a few years now

I wasn't actually volunteering to organise that hike, but if someone else wants to do the organising I'd be happy to act as a guide if I am free (not that the route is particularly difficult from a route-finding point of view).