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The start of the real Hok Tau Country Trail is passed at the top of this incline. As you can see, it isn’t remotely suitable for bikes:
In fact, the ‘balloon’ halfway along trail #2 on Google Maps includes a photograph of this starting point. I’ve reported the error to Google and received an acknowledgement, which informed me that my suggested change awaits ‘verification’. It has yet to be amended.
There is a considerable drop off the first part of the path—hence the guard rail, which wasn’t there when we first discovered this path:
I don’t think it’s necessary!
In fact, there are no significant difficulties for cyclists anywhere on this path:
About halfway along the path, it emerges from the forest into an extensively farmed area:
Next to the house seen in the distance in the previous picture, there is a choice of which way to go:
The right-hand option is followed on the return journey (see below).
Did I write ‘no significant difficulties’ just now? Shortly after the left fork, the path is shattered and broken:
In this still, I’ve just ridden over a drop of about 10–12cm. You can hear the clunk on the video as Paula rides over it. However, it’s uncomfortable rather than difficult. I did once try bypassing the drop on the right, but the fairway here is only about 15cm wide, and if you can’t hold the line, there’s a good chance you will crash. I aborted my attempt before it was too late!
The remainder of this path, which emerges eventually onto Hok Tau Road, is quite straightforward.
This is the video from which these stills were taken:
I have two videos of the return journey, one shot at the same time as the previous video with me in front, and a second, taken last winter, with Paula in front. The following stills are taken from both.
The first six images show the section of the return path before it reaches the fork that is pictured above:
The previous image shows Paula approaching the house next to which the fork in the path is located.
The final five images show sections of the path after it has left the farmland and entered the forested section:
You can see in the last image the reason why the authorities decided to install the guard rail along this section of the path, although as I stated above, it isn’t something you would even notice when cycling.
These are the videos from which these stills were taken:
One final comment: although I regularly cycle along trail #2 on Sundays, when Paula goes to church, trail #1 is best avoided at weekends because you are likely to encounter a lot of hikers. However, both #1 and #2 are enjoyable routes in a pleasant environment with—I think you will agree—some picturesque scenery.
Riding ahead is quite different in keeping the pace and distance when you aim to keep a reasoning shot with Dennis.
ReplyDeleteI just ride at my own pace, whether I’m in front or in charge of the camera. It just so happens that we tend to ride at the same pace—or so it seems (most of the time).
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