The race course is very nearby and well worth a visit (The Stable End buffet is endless and affordably liposuctionable), but the main road of Happy Valley (Sing Woo Rd) and the few streets that march off it are worth a visit.

Happy Valley has a slightly in-the-crowd-yet-not-of-the-crowd feel - visit the Jewish Cemetery for example, and you will have found a calm, romantic, sobering oasis of calm.

But let’s take a walk up the hill starting at the tram stop. Turn right.

First, you will notice Happy Valley has an almost "village" feel, but happens to have quite a few amazingly tall condos. This is village Hong Kong style after all.

Despite its twee Enid Blyton associations, it’s a very upmarket address, Happy Valley. Here you may see the great and good of Hong Kong in any number of boring old Mercedes and weird hairdos doing a speck of shopping, training their dogs to sit or, in the early morning, the not so great but just as good of the parish doing tai-chi and sword exercises.

There is a good hole-in-the-wall fast food place near the pedestrian crossing across from the pharmacist, a Wellcome supermarket, and across the street a pink-tiled community centre run by Leisure and Cultural Services housing a library, a wet market, a cooked food centre and an indoor playground for the kids. It’s cold in there. Bring thermals.

You will notice a plethora of foot reflexologists. And Chinese medicine shops. And pet shops. And stylish furniture retailers. Ligne Roset has its showroom here. Why I don't know.

Further up Sing Woo, past the electrical retailers, the 7-11, the stationery shop and the Pacific Coffee (wireless internet here) there is a Dim Sum place, which serves all day (not always the case in HK) and has a wooden/tile interior and an upmarket clientele. Not cheap but very, very good. There’s a helpful picture-based menu for gweilos.

Cross the road burping your siu mai and lor mai kai and head back down the hill. You will pass a Watson’s wine cellar and a tau foo fa seller on the corner of King Kwong Street. Order a small portion of this quintessentially Cantonese confection for dessert and continue on your way. There are various dai pai dongs selling cheap meals (HKD25 for a pile of rice, pork and vegetables) fruit stalls, newspaper ladies, a photo shop and the pharmacist before you are facing the racecourse again.

The infield of the racecourse is accessible to the general public via a tunnel located in the sitting-out area across the Wong Nai Chung Road if you feel the need for the wide open spaces. It is hemmed in by condos, the cemeteries, the blue-coloured immensity that is High Cliff and Mount Nicholson - but at least you can feel the grass beneath your feet. Watch out for the sprinklers at 5:30pm.

Worthy of mention for night owls are The Chapel bar on Yik Yam Street - good curries and a quiz night on Thursdays - The Jockey pub in the open area at the bottom of the Valley and the Movieland, which sells ex-rental, non-pirated DVDs very cheaply. Oh, and the Korean barbecue place, again on King Kwong Street. If you want your hair and clothes infused with the odour of seared bulgogi beef, this is casual and great. And won't break the bank.

And try the Cafe Very Good. It's Not Bad.

Take the Happy Valley tram from Central, Nos 1, 19, 8X double deckers or No 5 flaggable minibus - or do as I do and jump in a cab and ask for "Pau Ma Tei" which means "Horse Running Place". Cabs are so cheap. HKD15 flag and HKD1.4 per 200m after that. Do it

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