Cheung Chau (長洲) looks tiny on a map of Hong Kong, yet - like the interior of Doctor Who's Tardis (Doctor Who? - official site) there's far more to it than may first appear. With coastal trails, beaches, small rural valleys, and a village dotted with temples but with only one (police) car, Cheung Chau boasts plenty to see and do in a day; and plenty to eat once you've seen and done.

Though its name means Long Island, Cheung Chau is better described as roughly dumbell-shaped, formed from a north-south aligned spit that connects two big chunks of granite.

With a natural harbour to the west of the spit (now protected by breakwaters), Cheung Chau has become home to one of Hong Kong's main fishing communities, lately boosted by commuters who've made it home.

Seen from the main road along southern Lantau Island, Pui O (貝澳) appears a scruffy place, a higgledy-piggledy mix of houses, restaurants and shops, with glimpses of fields, and the hills of Lantau's interior looming above. No signs indicate that it's worth alighting from a bus bound to or from Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha; yet it's well worth stopping off here during a visit to Lantau, to stroll through fields, see the feral buffalo, and head onto the beach to enjoy magnificent views.

From the main road, you can look for one of the narrow, concrete footpaths that lead through the damp fields - or, more simply, walk along the road to the beach (should be only little traffic).

The old paddyfields here seem long abandoned by farmers; nowadays, they are grazing pastures for a few dozen water buffalo. Though the adult buffalo are huge, with massive horns, it seems they are benign, placid beasts, well used to having people walk and cycle right past them.

Yet some local people evidently object to the buffalo living here, saying they sometimes get into small gardens and munch on vegetables grown there.