Cycling Chuncheon to Seoul (Bukhangang River Bicycle Path)

I spent two days along the Bukhangang Cycle Path, starting in Chuncheon and finishing west Seoul. I stayed at a hotel about midway. Naver Map link of the Bukhangang River Bicycle Path (북한강자전거길): naver.me/FqWOA3KA

Click to the Four Rivers Cross-country Bicycle Path main page.

Day 1 – Chuncheon 23 June

I started the day with a 14 km cycle to Yongsan Station and was surprised to see lots of joggers and cyclists so early! The 06:37 ITX train from Yongsan to Chuncheon arat rives 07:54. *Important note: Bicycles on the ITX are only allowed from Yongsan on the ITX Gyeongchun Line (경춘선), and you MUST buy a bicycle seat ticket, no exceptions (there are eight bicycle seats per train, four on each of the first and last carriages).

It was a beautiful, clear day. I rode from the station to the river/lake side (on the road west of the station) and then north, stopping at some of the attractions (war memorials and statues). I continued on until I could cross to the other side and find the first stamp certificate booth of this trip (Sinmaedaegyo bridge – 신매대교인증센터), arriving at about 09:30. The stamp booths usually have stamps and ink but I always take my own ink stamp, just in case. Recently I discovered an app that stamps an electronic version of the passport, as long as you have the app open and stand close enough. Pretty cool! It’s called ‘자전거 행복나눔’ (Bicycle Happiness Sharing?) and there’s only the Korean langusge version as far as I know. I also saw there was once a collection of bicycle maintenance tools, though only the place holders remained! Once stamped, the ride truly began…and I immediately went to a cafe!

Pig’s Playground cafe (돼지놀이터) is about 100 m from the stamp booth. I was the first customer it seemed. I got an espresso and walked around the nice, cute interior. There was lots of bread and cake available, too, but I settled for just the coffee. There were nice views of the surrounding area on the upper floor, plus a lazy cat.

So now the real cycling began! It was a lovely smooth ride along the trail, on tarmac and long wooden walkways over the water, alongside the lakes/reservoirs and river banks. I passed a lot of familiar landmarks from previous trips to Chuncheon: the cable car, the entrance to Samaksan Mountain, a few dams and, finally Gangchon!

Gangchon 강촌

I’ve been to Gangchon many times on rides from Seoul with friends, and once with Romana by train. The main mission in Gangchon is to eat dakgalbi (닭갈비), specifically the barbeque grilled kind, sootbul dakgalbi (숯불닭갈비). For lunch however, I wanted something quick and simple; makguksu (막국수) a cold noodle dish. I tried to go the the place me and my friends usually get dakgalbi as they also have makguksu on the menu. However the grumpy guy in the restaurant refused to serve just the noodles. I went across the street to Gangchon Makguksu (강촌막국수) where I got a very delicious noodle soup.

I had a cycle around town, finding some of the places that triggered a few nice memories of past visits. One of the pensions we stayed at had a pool.

I got back on the road to a very hot baking day! Whereas the first part of this trail had been nicely shaded, the trail from Gangchon was very exposed to the sun. I took water breaks more often, at any place with a modicum of shade!

I reached an area with a lot of overhead solar panels which was welcome in the heat. Also, a really long, cool tunnel which was fun to freewheel down. After the tunnel and more countryside, I stopped at Sanarae Cafe (사나래) for a lemon and lime Bundaberg over ice. I’ve been to this cafe before (by car) and wanted to return since it’s in a lovely riverside spot.

My least favourite part of the ride is approaching the area with lots of roadside cafes and accommodation; you lose the nice water views and are on quite a busy road. The cycle lane is also dirty as the road sweeper machines can’t get past the safety bollards (this is the place you’re most likely to get a puncture!). It’s also partly uphill which is never fun. Eventually I passed a few familiar sections and finally reached Hotel A, my accommodation for the night. I’d booked it through Agoda and checked in easily. The room had a view directly on to the river and the hills on the opposite bank.

After showering, I wandered the area. Most restaurants didn’t cater to single diners though, so I walked up to Cafe Daenerys (카페 대너리스), got a latte, a small loaf with pumpkin inside, and sat in the garden by the river and chilled for a few hours. It’s a very grand cafe with four floors, great views and an nice garden. Also, very popular.

On my way into the hotel, the owner or manager said I can put my bike in the cafe out back. Very nice of her.

Day 2 – 24 June

I woke pretty early at sunrise and admired the view from the room. I dozed a little more then packed up and went out the back to the basement cafe. The owner/manager made me an espresso that was part of the included breakfast. I declined the ramyeon and toast though. It was pleasant sitting in the cafe looking out the window. At 07:30 I left and was on my way to Seoul.

I stopped at a few park areas along the riverbank to eat some buns and other snacks for breakfast. There were reedy sections with paths and benches near the water, will well cared for trees and plants. In fact there are three lovely garden parks in that section of the path.

A bit later on, I came across a huge wooden ship-shaped observatory and some interesting looking houses. After that, approaching the big 180 degree bend on a river was the Water Garden (물의정원), a large park. I got the next two stamps shortly after that.

Getting closer to Seoul, the trail got a little less interesting, although easy to cycle; lots of very straight sections with not much to look at. I passed another dam, then got into the suburbs and some allotment areas. I crossed the river a few times to sweep up a few electronic versions of stamps I already had. Then had a longish rest at some riverside chairs and tables that looked like someone had just splashed out and B&Q! That was about 11:15. From then it was a plain ride to my house, and I got there about 13:30. Total ride for the two days was ~136 km.