Situated in Braemar Hill, along Red Incense Burner Summit, Sir Cecil's Ride Stream is a lovely stream trek for the intermediate hiker looking to expand their hiking repertoire and add stream treks into the mix. Although you can do a majority of this hike hopping from rock to rock, without needing to get your feet wet, we recommend getting a pair of stream trekking shoes to give you that extra bit of flexibility and freedom when doing this walk.
Overview
Distance: <4 kilometres approx. Ascent: <180m
Total time: 2 hours approx. Difficulty: Beginner - Intermediate Shaded? Shaded along Red Incense Burner Summit. Stream is exposed Water? Freshwater stream and waterfalls Verdict: A nice gentle stream trek for beginners to start. Involves some scrambling, but minimal. Do no not attempt during or after heavy rain.
The start
We recommend starting this walk at Braemar hill, right next to the St. Joan of Arc Secondary School, though there are several entry points that join onto this stream from Mount Butler and Quarry Bay (as marked on the map, above). The start of the trail involves climbing up some stairs to the Red Incense Burner Summit trail, which is mostly shaded and flat. Once on the trail, we advise turning left and following the trail clockwise, so that you are walking up the stream as opposed to coming down it. Continue along this trail until you cross a bridge that goes over the stream, before hitting a fork in the trail. Here you will see a shaded seating area, with a path that continues onto Quarry Bay to your left, and some stairs and the stream to your right.
We want to take the stairs to the right - once here, the path is pretty straightforward, as you simply want to follow the stream uphill.
You'll eventually come out to another seating out area (pictured above) - here you'll want to follow the path to the right.
The pool
Shortly into the hike, you'll come across this pool, which has been fortified to collect more water after rainfall. Prior to COVID, this was a nice little quiet spot that attracted the odd hiker, but these days, due to its close proximity to town, it has been known to get quite busy on the weekends.
Once you have passed the pool, there are two sections on this hike where the rock face overflows with water and can be a little tricky to pass (pictured left) - at both these points, look for a little trail that offshoots to the right - this will help you bypass these slippery sections, and may even have rope to help assist you up and down. The picture to the right looks back down over the harbour once you've passed these two sections.
Eventually, you will reach the top of the stream (pictured above) here you have the option to turn left (towards Quarry Bay) or follow the stream around to the abandoned radio station at Mount Butler. If you would like to do a loop and head back to Braemar Hill, we suggest following the latter, and instead of following the road all the way back down to Mount Butler, look for the path to your right, once out of the radio station, to bring you back onto the Red Incense Burner Summit trail. This is a relatively gentle, shaded walk back to where you joined the trail at the start.
If you're in the mood for food after, head to Braemar Hill Shopping Centre, where there are several outdoor cafes that allow dogs, ranging from your Western Coffee shop, Coffee 101, to your more local Cha Caan Teng for instant noodles.
Looking for a place to eat after your hike?
Check out our map for the ULTIMATE guide on dog-friendly restaurants and cafes