Difficulty: 1/5
Total Distance: 3.66 km
Starting Point: Piper's Hill Road
End Point: Same as starting point
Date: 21 Aug 2020
Transportation:
- Take KMB No. 72 from Cheung Sha Wan Bus Terminus, alight at Shek Lei Pui Reservoir, then cross the flyover to Piper's Hill Road and walk up
- Return by walking down Piper's Hill Road to the bus stop and take KMB No. 72 back to Cheung Sha Wan Terminus
There is a public car park at Tai Po Road near Piper's Hill where we park our car, before walking along Tai Po Road to reach Piper's Hill Road. Walking uphill for a short distance on your left there is the start of the trail.
Walking up the steps, soon you will reach a level path, and throughout the whole trail it is quite flat and easy. The area is famous for having a lot of macaques, a type of monkey, which was brought to the area to eat the a Poisonnut in the nearby area when the government started to build the Kowloon Reservoir. We only saw a couple of them on the way as the weather is probably too hot for the monkeys to venture out from the trees.
Soon we arrived at a spot where one can catch a glimpse of the Kowloon Reservoir. It was completed in 1910 and was the first reservoir in the New Territories. Coupled with the subsequently built Shek Lei Pui Reservoir, the Kowloon Reception and Byewash Reservoir the four reservoirs are collectively known as Kowloon Group Reservoirs. But the amount of water they hold can only meet the needs for the whole HK for only one day per the 2010 consumption rate.
Further along we saw some bamboos. This is the local endemic and was first discovered in Eagle's Nest in 1981, and named after Dr. Hu Shiu-ying for her contributions to the research of the flora in Hong Kong.
Along the way there are other interesting flora including Wild Coffee, Bryophytes (or lichen) and Reevesia, a type of evergreen tree with high functional value in which the bark fibers are fine materials for ropes, sacs and paper.
Very soon we can see Eagle's Nest, which also got another name of Tsim Shan, referring to the sharp hilltop. There are some Black Kite (a type of eagle) nesting in the area and is how the place got its English name. Here there is also a pavilion for hikers to take a short rest.
Walking up a flight of steps we found a few wild dogs on the way, which was quite friendly and not afraid of strangers, but still one would need to be careful to approach them. At the top there is another big pavilion, and this one is overlooking the Kowloon urban areas, and in the background also the mountains on HK Island.
Continuing the trail there are many interesting flora, which the signs giving good descriptions and very educational. There are some side paths leading down to So Uk and I think many residents might come up here for morning exercise. Another thing HK is so precious, with such urban development but still having good nature hiking trail just at the backyard.
The whole trail is well-shaded and even in hot summer it is relatively cool and comfortable walking at a good pace. Near the end there is a temporary toilet before the trail rejoins to the starting point. Overall this is a nice trail for all ages and with such close proximity to downtown it is one of the most popular choices on the Kowloon side.
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