Creating a Round-The-Island Walking Trail

With a few improvements we can bring the ‘Round-the-island’ walking trail closer to the water. The existing 60km route is based on the annual StaRun. (http://www.starunhk.com/rti60%202016/rti_INFO.html)

Creating a Round-The-Island Walking Trail

Once a year StaRun organizes a 60km run around Hong Kong Island. Beforehand teams scout for the best route close to the shore and safe for over a thousand runners. This route will continue to move closer to the water as various initiatives come to fruition.

Let’s walk anti-clock wise starting at ‘SoHo East’, the restaurants in Sai Wan Ho. The Harbourfront Commission has funding in place to build a boardwalk from Quarry Bay to North Point. The waterfront of Wanchai is being reopened steadily with the  completion of the Central Wanchai Bypass. You can already walk along Victoria Harbour passing through Tamar, the piers in Central, Shun Tak Centre, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, the Western Tunnel Portal area and in front of the Western Wholesale Market onto the Western Cargo Working Area (it is nicknamed Instagram pier, Google it to see why). From there walk along the Kennedy Town Praya and up Victoria Road.

After you pass the renovated ex-Victoria Detention Centre you can walk down the stairs from Victoria Road to Sandy Bay. This is the start of the Southern District Coastal Trail which will be sign posted all the way to Stanley later this year. To bring this route closer to East Lamma Channel we are asking Cyberport to fund a 280m walkway over the water between Sandy Bay and its waterfront park (Section 1) while the Home Affairs Department is studying a footbridge over Waterfall Bay (Section 2).

Next you’ll pass the 1,000 statues of Wah Fu, the Aberdeen Fish Market and Promenade, Heung Yip Road Nullah, Wong Chuk Hang Station, Ocean Park, Mills & Chung Path, the beaches of Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay, Ma Hang Park and Stanley Plaza. A District Minor Works application to fund improvements of the path between South Bay and Chung Hom Kok (Section 3) is pending approval.

From Stanley the route goes up into the Country Park around Tai Tam Bay and up Dragon’s Back. To improve on this we have asked AFCD for a path down from Cape D’Aguilar to Shek O beach (Section 4) from where you can walk via Big Wave Bay to Chai Wan.

Finally, to get back to Shau Kei Wan is at the moment a circuitous route through Chai Wan Gap. This can be significantly and easily improved on if we succeed in convincing LCSD to open a short pathway through the Museum of Coastal Defence (Section 5).

The runners joining StaRun will try to complete the entire route in  one day. Other people will walk sections of the “Hong Kong Island Coastal Trail” based on their location and time available. The closer the route runs to the water, the more it will be suitable for all ages and abilities. Let’s work together to convince government to take on the five identified projects. What do you think? Email us at [email protected]

(Based on article published in Southside Magazine, June 2019)

環島360

每年星光體育會都會籌辦環島60，作為統籌，大會當然會事前查探最接近海岸線，並可同時容納過千跑手的環島路線。隨着其他項目逐漸完工，日後便能拉近與海岸線的距離。

以逆時針方向，我們先從位於西灣河蘇豪東的餐廳開始。海濱事務委員會已經投入資金打造由鰂魚涌至北角的海濱長廊行人板道，而隨着中環灣仔繞道開通，灣仔海濱亦已逐漸重新開放，讓市民能從灣仔出發，靠着維港步行，途經添馬、中環碼頭、信德中心、中山紀念公園、西隧、西區批發市場，走到有天空之鏡美譽的打卡位西環公眾貨物裝卸區。再繼續前行，你就可以走到堅尼地城新海旁並轉入域多利道。

經過已活化的前域多利道扣押中心，沿梯級下行就可以由域多利道走到大口環。今年稍後時間，這裡將會設立路牌標示南區海岸徑的開始，並一路指示遊人緩步前往赤柱。為了更接近東博寮海峽，我們正要求數碼港在大口環及數碼港海濱公園之間，建造一條全長280米的走廊（1），與此同時，民政事務署正在研究在瀑布灣興建一條行人天橋（2）。

繼續行就會經過華富邨的千尊佛像、香港仔魚市場及海旁、香葉道明渠、黃竹坑站、海洋公園、曲鍾徑、深水灣及淺水灣泳灘、馬坑公園、赤柱廣場。相關部門亦正審批改善南灣至舂坎角一帶的地區小型工程申請。

離開赤柱後，就是前往大潭郊野公園及龍脊的一段路。我們已要求漁護署加設一段路連接鶴咀至石澳泳灘（4），讓遊人能夠經大浪灣走到柴灣。

回到筲箕灣的路需先經過柴灣，較為迂回，但只要我們能夠說服康文署開放海防博物館的一條小徑，就能解決這個問題（5）。 

參加環島60的跑手會在一日內完成整條路徑，其他市民則會按他們的出發地點及時間遊走港島海岸徑的不同路段。整條走廊越近海岸線，就越適合不同年齡及體能的人活動。讓我們一起說服政府推動上述5大項目，你亦可以電郵至[email protected]分享你的想法。

(立場新聞2019年6月2日連結:環島 360 )