Lamma Island and the Family Trail

Lamma is the outlying island for walkers and long lunches. The third-largest island in Hong Kong, it has no cars, a laid-back village culture and a population that mixes old fishing families with artists and expatriates who commute to the city by ferry. Ferries from Central Pier 4 serve both of its main villages, Yung Shue Wan in the north and Sok Kwu Wan on the east side, and the classic day is to ferry to one, walk across the island on the paved Family Trail, eat, and ferry back from the other. Yung Shue Wan is the livelier of the two, with a main street of cafes, bars, vegetarian restaurants, small shops and a Tin Hau temple near the pier, and an easy-going atmosphere quite unlike the rest of Hong Kong. From there the Family Trail climbs gently past village houses and banana plants to Hung Shing Yeh Beach, a sandy, lifeguarded beach with views across to the island's power station chimneys, an incongruous but strangely photogenic sight. The path continues over the hills, with a pavilion and viewpoints over the sea and the neighbouring islands, past a wind turbine on the ridge and down to Lo So Shing, then into Sok Kwu Wan. On the way into Sok Kwu Wan you pass the Kamikaze Caves, tunnels dug during the Japanese occupation to hide suicide speedboats. Sok Kwu Wan itself is little more than a waterfront lined with seafood restaurants on stilts over the bay, with fish farms floating offshore, and it is the island's great lunch destination: choose your fish, prawns and shellfish from the tanks and have them cooked in the Cantonese style. The walk takes about an hour and a half at a relaxed pace, and the whole day costs little more than ferry fares and lunch.

Planning the walk: most people start in Yung Shue Wan, because ferries there are more frequent, and walk south to Sok Kwu Wan for lunch, then take the ferry back to Central from Sok Kwu Wan. Check the return ferry times from Sok Kwu Wan before you start, as sailings are less frequent there; you can always walk back or take a water taxi. The Family Trail is paved and suitable for most fitness levels, with some gentle climbs; wear comfortable shoes, carry water and sun protection, and allow extra time for a swim at Hung Shing Yeh Beach. More energetic walkers can add the climb to Mount Stenhouse, the island's highest point, from Sok Kwu Wan, but this is a proper hike.

When to go: weekdays are quietest. Spring and autumn are ideal for walking; summer is very hot, so start early and plan the beach stop. Ferries can be suspended in typhoon conditions. Seafood restaurants in Sok Kwu Wan are busiest at weekend lunch and dinner; some offer free ferries for diners, so ask when booking.

Lamma or Cheung Chau: both are excellent car-free island days from Central. Cheung Chau has a livelier village, more street snacks and a bigger festival culture; Lamma has the better walk and the classic seafood lunch at Sok Kwu Wan. If you have time for only one island, choose Lamma for walking and Cheung Chau for village life and snacks.