Penang Hills and Trails - Another Pantai Acheh Loop
Exploring the Hills above the Village

This is part of a series of pages on walking the hills of Penang. Click here for the index. This is a Grade 3 walk (at least). There is a sketch map at the bottom showing the route followed. 

Please visit my Penang buses page for information on accessing the starting point.

Today's walk was all about returning the favour Dave Ray did us when he gave us the outline of what we call 'The Secret Garden Walk' nearly 5 years ago, since when we had always both planned to join up but until today had never got round to it. Previously Dave had only cycled this route and hence it looked less than familiar to him, especially as the early part is currently rather overgrown and not suitable for mountain bikes. We were joined by Mike Gibby who, like Dave, is also heavily into cycling and kayaking. Hence they had plenty of experiences in common around Penang doing things which have nothing to do with fruit orchards and jungles where we spend our time.

Traditionally, we do our Secret Garden walk as our warm up walk on first arrival in Penang. However, with renting Mavis this time we need to return to base, so this was the first time we had come this way, indeed, it was only made possible when we found a way back to the round-the-island road on our alternative first hike. We parked up 400 metres short of the summit of the round-the-island road. Ahead was what was probably a unique walk in Penang in that we would follow a route that went Down - Up - Down - Up - Down - Up - Down. The concrete road soon turns to a concrete path at the metal gates.

Much of this initial section had recently been cut which was a help.

I have a traditional error in that I often miss the turning before a hut which goes down the valley. Today, I had an excuse because it was almost impossible to see the trail.

There's a somewhat broken bridge in the undergrowth and the path onwards is less than intuitive.

 Things got rather better when we got into the rubber, until that is, we found a small tree down. That was easy as you could see what you were doing.

The next one was less easy but nothing compared to some we have faced this time after the big storms. Very soon we could see the durian orchard ahead, that's an unwanted car part swinging from the tree.

Some kind of maintenance was apparent in the area around the house, but there was no sign of resident dogs or humans as before.

The next part is easy to follow only if you have been this way before. We went about 100 metres further down the stream and turned up the ridge.

The grass was getting longer and longer, but I knew if we turned right now, we would soon come to the required path.

 For the first time Dave recognised the route he had come on his mountain bike, although the 'house' has since been finished. We left the sunny part of the trail...

... and entered a forested area which runs along the edge of the National Park. At the crest, ridge paths run left and right, the latter is the more interesting as it leads (eventually) to Bukit Batu Itam and onward to Teluk Bahang. It's a route suitable only for experienced hikers.

Today we went on down, back into durian orchards.

Of course, we could have continued down to Pantai Acheh which was barely 1km away but we needed to start our return to base. It was time for our second climb of the day as we did a U turn at a Y-junction.

It's an excellent path, there's just one junction where we needed to turn left up the hill and a locked gate to negotiate.

Eventually we came to a hut, there was a farmer there who had told us 'no way' as he went past on his motorbike. Now, he grudgingly acknowledged that there was actually a path as we turned left and continued up and around the hillside. Yuehong spoke with him and tried to explain that our hobby was hiking through the hills, but it was utterly beyond his comprehension.

Now there was just one more left turn as we met the other path that comes up from Pantai Acheh and then I had my 'cake and ale'. It was time for short real 'off piste' section, it took only about 5 minutes before we emerged at the upper fruit orchard and completed the climb to the ridge on the new concrete path. We were turned left and came to the access road from Sungai Pinang.

The next section quite frankly, is rather boring as we went down the concrete road to the T-junction and continued up the other side, we were cooked in the hot sun.

At the end of the road, a putative unsealed continuation had been converted into a vegetable patch. We turned left and headed up the ridge towards the rubber.

The rubber terraces are not quite as well organised as the pictures suggest, but with care we avoided excessive climbing and came to the path below the large rock.

This then headed down past the chicken farm and onto the road out. I got the impression that the workers were not overjoyed to see us but as always there was not a great deal they could do except show us the exit, especially as I doubt that they were all Malaysian citizens.

We emerged at the summit of the round-the-island road and walked back to the car. It's a cracking walk and I suspect that our guests will sleep rather well after it! It was very strange to be home not long after 14.00!