Locks on bridges? Phht… In naming Gunung Cecil and Gunung Penelope after the colonial couple Sir Cecil and Lady Penelope, pre-independence ordinance surveyors inadvertently immortalised love. Which is why hiking this short but challenging Cameron Highlands day hike should be the ultimate gesture of one’s passion for hiking.
Not to be confused with his uncle, Cecil Clementi Smith, Sir Cecil Clementi was Governor and Commander-In-Chief of the Straits Settlements from 1930 to1934.
It was during his tenure that Tanah Rata was established as a town and Cameron Highlands earmarked as a holiday destination and agricultural area. And, despite protestations from the Cameron Highlands Development Committee over the potential for erosion. it was Cecil who suggested that the hill station’s steep slopes should be used for farming, (Read about it here.) Does that warrant being immortalised as a mountain or having his name lent to streets in Singapore and Penang? I’m doubtful….
At the very least, Sir Cecil Clementi’s wife, Lady Penelope (pronounce puh-nel-uh-pee) is immortalised in the name of a mountain too; the pair, side-by-side even in death.
Trailblazer Hiking Group’s meet up point for the climbing of these two peaks was Kelantan’s Masjid Long Tan aka Lojing Mosque. After a light breakfast across the road at Restoran Tawakal Ikhlasi, where the lunch menu of sambal petai prawns and fried catfish were already being brought out by the ladies that run the kitchen, Kelvin, Jason, Ravinder, Hwa Loong, Erica, me, and our guide Fikri piled into the truck and headed to the trailhead.
The trailhead is located at the far end of a series of vegetable and fruit farms. To get there we backtracked to the Blue Valley intersection towards Cameron Highlands before exiting left down a hairpin turn.
You can hike from here, but hitching a ride saved us 45 minutes and a tedious 2 kilometre trudge along uneven cement roads, past depressing plastic-covered fruit and vegetable patches that reeked of fertiliser.
Once the truck stopped, Fikri led the way labouring up a ridiculously steep slope to squeeze past a lorry being loaded with crates of large freshly plucked tomatoes by unimpressed labourers. There we clambered up steps that had been hard baked into the orange clay onto a plateau that overlooked the farm’s curved plastic roofs towards Gunung Siku. Our trailhead was on the far side of the plateau just after the signs for Gunung Cecil and Gunung Penelope.
As is customary, it’s ladies first but Lady Penelope was no push over. Instantly swallowed by the dense foliage, well placed reflective markers along an otherwise clear trail were a reassuring sight as we took on the near constant climb. Despite the lack of rain, the leaf fall was thick and dark, and the ground was damp, which is typical of a cloud forest.
15 minutes in we gathered at a small clearing to momentarily catch our breath before proceeding to huff and puff along a ridgeline. The incline was steeper here but with the sun glimmering though the trees and the brisk morning air, it was invigorating.
We were almost on our hands and knees for the last 10 minutes of our climb to the viewless peak but having won her favour, Penelope demurred. The trail flattened and as we picked our way between clumps of reed thin bamboo, the ground bounced under foot. It had taken us one hour but Lady Penelope or Bukit Palas as it’s also known, was ours.
Following the trail on the other side of the summit would have taken us back down to the farm. As we had yet to pay our respects to Cecil, we looped around the back of the peak and down towards what looked like a potential campsite.
After passing through peak mossiness our descent began. This side of the mountain was wild and untamed. On the way up Gunung Penelope, signs of freshly cut foliage suggested that other hikers had made the journey very recently, but the undergrowth here was so dense that it was clear they had given Gunung Cecil a miss.
Most of the route is down hill, which offered some relief. Strategically-tied rope made it possible to abseil down steeper sections and safely navigate areas of moss-slicked clay.
While traversing a narrow overgrown gutter towards a gully, we encountered an impenetrable fortress of vines and had to backtrack to ensure we were on the right path. Fortunately we had Fikri’s parang skills and the Forestry Department’s reflective markers to keep us on track.
A valley of palms where a cool breeze drifted through the area was our last stop before making the final ascent toward the apex of Gunung Cecil. It was hard going at first but after Cecil relented eventually and at 10.40am we claimed our spoils.
It took us 2 hours one way with breaks to bag Cameron Highland’s two colonial namesakes: 1 hour for each peak. It was too early for lunch, but Kelvin spread out the tarp and we put our feet up for an hour before making our way back down the same route, to exit just in time for late lunch in Lojing.
8.25am Start hiking
8.35am Enter trailhead
9.30am Summit Gunung Penelope
9.45am Leave Gunung Penelope
10.25am Palm Valley
10.40am Summit Gunung Cecil
11.55am Leave Gunung Cecil
12nn Palm Valley
12.40pm Summit Gunung Penelope
12.55pm Leave Gunung Penelope
1.40pm Exit trailhead
1.45pm Back at pickup point
Hiked Sunday 27 August 2023
Altitude Gunung Penelope 1834 metres; Gunung Cecil 1768 metres.
Distance and time 2.5 kilometres or 2 hours one-way.
Rating Moderate.
Leech count None.
Permits Required.
Guide Required.
Facilities None. Closest is the mosque at Lojing or BP petrol station at Blue Valley.
Parking None at the farm. Roads are one way and there is barely room to turn around. Park at the mosque and rely upon transport organised by your appointed guide.
Tip Wanna go all out? Extend your hike by proceeding to Gunung Swettenham from Gunung Cecil summit.
GPS coordinates (turn off towards farm) 4.572999, 101.416344
GPS coordinates (starting point) 4.57011, 101.42394
You can review my AllTrails route of Penelope-Cecil here.
Join Trailblazer Hiking Club Malaysia here.
POKOK KELAPA 
Leech count : None — most reassuring 👍