Tragedy in Tai Po.

Bride's Pool Falls.

Again this week we spent some time swimming and already Peter is swimming longer and with less coughing. Plus we had a meal out with our friend, Bonnie, and a meal in the club at Siena where we swim. Siena is a bit hit and miss with its food, but this time they got it just right. Peter loved his fish and chips and I thought my Malaysian laksa was delicious, especially the spicy coconut sauce.

Me in Siena.

Peter in Siena.

My laksa.

Sunset at Siena.

When I used to work here, I always wanted to spend Sundays in Discovery Bay with no travelling. After all I spent nearly three hours commuting to and from work every weekday. Then when covid struck and there was nowhere to go and nothing to do, I started exploring on Sundays. Nowadays I explore on weekdays when most people are working and things are not as busy as at the weekends, but there are some places that only have transport at weekends. I want to go to these, but am put off by the crowds. Well today I decided to give one of these places a go. I decided to go to Tai Po Market Station, then take the 275R bus to Bride's Pool. The 275R bus service only runs on Sundays and public holidays.

275R bus stop.

I noted from the bus schedule that the first bus to Bride's Pool left Tai Po at 9.40am. I knew it would take me about one and a half hours to get to that bus, so I left early and arrived around 10am. To my utter amazement there was no queue. I began to panic that maybe this bus didn't actually exist any more, but then more people joined the queue behind me. When the bus arrived about fifteen minutes later, there were about seven of us waiting to board it. No sign of the crowds I was expecting. This journey is very scenic. It bypasses Tai Po Waterside Park, then follows the coastline heading towards Tai Mei Tuk. I've done this part of the journey several times before. However, this time the bus went further into the Plover Cove Country Park. I got off at Bride's Pool, the second last stop.

Bride's Pool is deep enough to swim in and is located at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall. So why is it called Bride's Pool? Is it because the cascading white water looks like a long bridal veil? Sounds like a sensible theory, but no, of course not. Traditionally in China brides dressed in red. White was a colour associated with death. So why the name? Well, tragically it comes from an old legend.

Long ago, a beautiful young village girl was getting married. On her wedding day, she dressed in traditional heavy red embroidered wedding clothes, then climbed into her wedding sedan chair. When girls married, they left their traditional village and went to live in their husband's. They were taken there in a sedan chair carried by four bearers. Now on the day of this poor girl's wedding it was wet and stormy and when her bearers were crossing a treacherous pathway above a tall waterfall, one of them suddenly slipped and fell. This caused the sedan chair to tilt precariously and the unfortunate bride was thrown out of it right over the edge of the waterfall. Her bearers and other members of the wedding party rushed down to try and save her, but the fall itself may have killed her, or at the very least knocked her out. Then the heavy ornate wedding garments must have weighed her down, and if there was even the slightest chance she had survived the fall, she must assuredly have drowned. By the time her distraught family had reached the pool, the young bride's body had been washed away, never to be seen again. Since then, many people claim to have encountered the unfortunate bride's restless spirit wandering sadly around the pools and streams here, even to the present day.

I've no idea if this story is based on fact or entirely a work of fiction, but when I looked up information about the pools, I encountered not only this legend, but a long list of tragic events that have taken place in this area and are blamed on the restless spirit of the vengeful bride. The road above the waterfall is a well known traffic black spot and several people have foolishly attempted to try and climb the Bride's Pool Waterfall only to slip and plunge to their death. Only last year a couple were foolhardy enough to visit here during a red rain storm when the forest paths become raging torrents and one of them was swept away to her death.

I even encountered one rather tongue in cheek video where three women claimed to be investigating the truth of the legend and had one of their friends follow them around in a long white wedding dress pretending to be a ghost that they could not see. I like hearing about legends, but I'm not convinced about the presence of this vengeful ghost. This area was calm and peaceful and beautiful. It wasn't scary at all.

I left the bus at the Bride's Pool stop and after visiting the conveniently located public toilet, which by the way has a drinks machine outside it, walked slightly back the way to the Bride's Pool Barbecue Area. I noticed a sign declaring this area part of the UNESCO Global Geopark and a huge rock made of purple slate which apparently originated from the neighbouring mountain, but must have eroded off. There's a pavilion in this area and it's possible to view the Bride's Pool Falls from here.

UNESCO Sign.

This huge rock got here from the neighbouring hillside.

Pavilion at the start of the trail.

Bride's Pool Falls viewed from next to the pavilion.

I went down some steps to a barbecue site. From what I had read if I went left here, I could get to Bride's Pool and Waterfalls very quickly. If I went right, I could also visit Mirror Pool and complete the Bride's Pool Nature Trail. I went to the right. I descended more stairs, crossed a bridge and entered another barbecue site. I found a rather large spider on one of the information signs.

Barbecue site.

Cross this bridge next to the barbecue site.

Stream.

Stream.

Rather large spider.

I saw a sign for Mirror Pool and followed it. This is where I feel I should say something like: "You probably think Mirror Pool is called this because it reflects the scenery around it, but it's actually because long ago there was this giant mirror which suddenly shattered and killed ...." Ok, no, I'm just making this up now, I guess it's probably to do with reflections. However, there are claims that lone hikers have arrived here only to find a beautiful but sad young Chinese lady, dressed in ornately embroidered red clothing, sitting gazing into the pool as she brushes her long black hair.

Luckily I arrived here not to find a grieving bride to be, but a Chinese family out for a walk and taking some photos. I got them to take one of me, too. From the main nature trail going to Mirror Pool involves going up some stairs, but it only takes around five to ten minutes to get here, so it's well worth it.

Stairs up to Mirror Pool.

People enjoying the waterfall.

Waterfall at Mirror Pool.

Waterfall at Mirror Pool.

Me at the Waterfall.

After enjoying the scenery, I retraced my steps. I noticed something that looked rather like a grave, but this turned out to be an information plaque about the nearby stone bridge. It was built in 1906 and the bridge's construction was funded by local donors, some paid in sterling and some in US dollars indicating they had already left the area to work overseas, probably temporarily.

Information tablet about the stone bridge.

Information about the stone bridge.

Bride's Pool Stone Bridge.

Bride's Pool Stone bridge.

Now I was a bit nervous about the next part of the trail. This had nothing to do with expecting to encounter ghosts. It was to do with contradictory information. One article I read said: "Just follow all the signs, the trail is very clearly marked." Another said: "You must ignore the signs and take the path on the left or you will miss the pools and waterfall all together." Another said: "Just get down to the stream and you can't go wrong." And one blog even said: "We walked the whole trail without ever finding the falls and in the end just used our drone to film it from the barbecue site near the bus stop."

I later realized it is true that the trail markers direct people away from the waterfalls, that's because they are dangerous. The rocks there are slippy and the area can suddenly flood.

Follow this to complete the trail, but it won't take you to the falls. To get there go left at this sign, not straight on.

Information point explaining that it is dangerous to go to the falls.

At the time I went with the 'just get as close to the stream as possible' advice which proved to be good and bad. By following this advice I went off the main trail too soon and crossed the stream too early, but in doing so I found some lovely secluded pools that looked swimmable in. I then saw a bridge which I later found out I would have come to almost immediately if I had headed left at the first barbecue site. My mistake was to try to get up the stream at water level from here. I was just concluding that this could not really be done without grave personal injury when I turned round and saw one of the people I had seen at Mirror Pool shaking his head at me and indicating I should return to the path and go further along it. I followed his advice. He didn't speak English, but he was very helpful and showed me the way and made sure I could do it.

Pools I found by going the wrong way.

Pools I found by going the wrong way.

Pools I found by going the wrong way.

This is the bridge you will come to if you go left at the original barbecue site at the entrance.

Basically I should have deviated from the main path onto a side path to the left, followed this to the very end then crossed the stream on some rocks which were not too precarious, then clambered over rocks on the left side of the stream, sometimes not that easy, but again short, until I reached the falls.

Follow the path to the end then cross here.

You will see this where you cross.

As you clamber over rocks on the left side of the stream, you pass lots of lovely pools and tiny waterfalls.

On the way to Bride's Pool Falls.

On the way to Bride's Pool Falls.

On the way to Bride's Pool Falls.

Fungus on a log I passed on the way.

Its possible to hear the falls from quite a long way, even when they are not in full flow, then suddenly it's possible to see them from a distance, so you know you are going the right way.

Bride's Pool Falls in the distance.

Nearly there.

There were quite a few people at the falls, more than there were at Mirror Pool. I think this is because of the legend, as Mirror Pool is probably more impressive but not as much visited. Of course Bride's Pool Waterfalls would be more impressive after heavy rain, but at the same time potentially much more dangerous and slippy, too.

People enjoying the waterfall.

People enjoying the waterfall.

Bride's Pool Falls.

Bride's Pool Falls.

Me at the falls.

There was a little boy who had brought his pet bird out for a walk. It seemed to be enjoying the fresh air.

Young boy walking his pet bird.

Young boy walking his pet bird.

I sat in the shade at the pools for a while and watched people swimming and climbing up behind the falls, then I returned to the path and finished the nature trail. This involved some stairs but it wasn't too long or strenuous. At one point the path passes directly above the falls, but I didn't climb down to the top as I think this would be quite dangerous. I noticed burning incense sticks here. These are usually placed on a shrine or a grave, perhaps they were a homage to the unfortunate bride.

This path leads up to the top of the falls.

Bridge at the top of the falls.

Sticks of burning incense.

Eventually I came out at a pavilion right next to the return bus stop. The bus stops are not directly opposite each other in this area. I noticed that the Pat Sing Leng Nature Trail was directly opposite the end of the Bride's Pool Nature Trail. I'd like to walk that some time, but not in this heat.

Bride's Pool Nature Trail.

Pat Sing Leng Nature Trail. Just cross the road and you are on the next trail.

Pavilion at the stop for buses back to Tai Po.

This walk was quite short and I realized a day out here could easily be combined with a trip to Tai Mei Tuk, the artificial beach on Plover Cove, or Tai Po Waterfront Park, all of which the bus passes. I didn't combine it with anything as although it was short, it was just about the right amount of heat exposure for the current weather. I'll have to rethink Sundays. It seems they may not be as bad as I thought, depending on where you are going, of course. I passed lovely scenery on the bus ride back.

View over Plover Cove from the bus window.

View over Plover Cove from the bus window.

View over Plover Cove from the bus window.