Monday, May 28, 2018

Discovery Bay (愉景灣) to Inspiration lake (迪欣湖) & Disney

Duration: 
8k to Inspiration Lake, 10k to MTR, 3.5 hours

Difficulty: 
7/10. 455m elevation gain. Some steep ascent and descents

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere.

Water needs: 1.5 liter.

Appreciation: 9/10. Nice views of Victoria Harbour, Inspiration lake, etc. 

Exercise Area: No.

Transportation: Ferry to Discovery Bay. Return via Disney MTR.

Why it's worth it: 


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Right off the ferry, just take the path that follows the sea-shore on the right


The path at this point is next to the beach on your right. 
There will be an opening on your left (about 250m from the ferry pier). Take it.

Go all the way to the end of that street and head right. You will be walking on this road (Discovery Bay rd) for about 1km

At this point, turn left and go between the gray building (Greenbelt Court), and the blue one (Neo-Horizon).

The way up is right behind the buildings, on your left. It is a water catchment

Go up the water-catchment, there will be a dirt path after for your to follow. 
It is steep and may be slippery

At the top, after about 500m of climbing, you'll take a right at the fork...
… from that point on, only one path that you will go up, and down, then up, then down... a few times... for about 4km...

...until you reach the top of Tai Shan. You are marveling at Inspiration lake on the right, and the Disney resort further on the right.
Once you are done, from the trigonometric point, follow the path that goes down on the left. It is quite clearly defined so there shouldn't be a problem.


Head right

Still right...

Go under the freeway
Update: that way is blocked later on. You may have to walk along the freeway to the roundabout and Inspiration lake.

Up the stairs, down the stairs, and around the fence on the left...

… to the first set on stairs on your left that will let you go over the train tracks.

Right here. Back down right after


You will have the train tracks on your right and the freeway in front of you. 
Go underneath the freeway, following the train tracks. You will see the lake on your left after.
Update: There are security guards posted there now so you probably won't be able to go that way

About 200m after the freeway underpass, you'll see a door on your left which will likely be locked. Next to it on the left, the fence has an opening that should be large enough to let you through. 

Inspiration Lake. Best things in life do seem to sometimes be free!

If you walk along the path on the left, you'll get to this man-made waterfall. 
Once you are done, you can go either way around the lake to get to the pavilion at the other end of the lake

From there, just follow the signs towards Disneyland Park. It is about 1.5km walk


If you don't want to visit Mickey, just head to the MTR

The MTR will bring you to Sunny Bay, then to 'Modern Hong Kong' !

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Please, don't litter!

Hiking is about communion with nature. So please pickup after yourself. There's no excuse to leave plastic bags, water bottles or any rubbish on or around the trails; if you managed to bring it, you can manage to bring it back!