Sai Wan Swimming Shed

Swimming sheds were once common along the Hong Kong Island shore, timber structures with changing rooms and a pier where members swam in the sea rather than in pools, and the shed at Sai Wan below Victoria Road is the last one left. A weathered wooden walkway runs out over the rocks to a small platform, used every morning by a club of older regulars who have swum there for decades. It became widely photographed when the walkway turned out to line up with the sunset, and it now draws people with cameras in the late afternoon, which the swimmers tolerate with varying patience. The structure is fragile and access is down a long flight of steps.

What you actually see

• The last wooden swimming shed - the only one of its kind still standing.
• The plank walkway over the rocks - the pier out to the platform.
• Morning swimmers - the club that has used it for decades.
• Sunset alignment - the reason photographers arrive in the afternoon.

When to go

October to April, and specifically late afternoon for the light. One hour. Mornings belong to the swimmers. Avoid it in rough seas or after rain.

Honest expectations

The walkway is old, narrow, slippery and not built for crowds, and photographers queue on it. It is a private club facility that tolerates visitors rather than welcoming them. The steps down from the road are long and steep. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Kennedy Town is east; Mount Davis rises behind.