I spent a day along the Nakdonggang Bicycle Path. I stayed in Gumi and went to Geomosan Mountain theNaver Map link of the full Nakdonggang River Bicycle Path (낙동강자전거길): naver.me/xcAOylhL
*Click to visit my Four Rivers/Cross-country Bicycle Path main page.
Day 1 – Sept 6
On Sundays, you can take bicycles on the subway, so got on Line 6 to Noksapyeong then cycled to the Gosok terminal (Gyeongbu line side). I took the 07:00 bus to Sangju (상주), arriving at 09:20. Weather was very nice although at the rest stop on the way in, there were chilly clouds and spots of rain.
In Sangju, I started cycling towards a cafe and Sangju Cycling Museum next to the cycle path so as to start close to where I left off last time. Getting out of Sangju was, frankly, a pain in the arse, especially for a city that has named itself a city of cycling… I stopped at a Paris Baguette for cycling food, then ate a small breakfast by the river. It was then I realised I’d lost one of my water bottles. Maybe in the bus. I didn’t get to Cafe 621 until about 10:30. Had an espresso and put on some sunscreen.
Got to Sangju Bicycle Museum (상주 자전거박물관) after a cycle through a nice wooded park and some hilly sections. The museum was free to enter and had a lots of interesting bicycles on display. As I left (around 11:50), it rained ever so slightly. I hadn’t brought any wet weather gear at all.
I was now on the cycle path properly and hit the first stamp booth at Sangjubo dam at 12:00. Soon after, the trail leaves the riverside heading inland through some hill rice paddy sections. None of the hills are too challenging or long. The views of the lush green fields going up and down the narrow roads is quite spectacular.
I got to Nakdanbo dam and stamp booth around 13:20 where I stopped for a snack. This dam was also a hydroelectric dam.
The next sections looked nice, but for some reason it seemed harder that it should have been. The sun was bright and relatively low so finding shade was difficult (all the benches were directly in the sun!). Also, the new sun cream I’d been using didn’t seem to be working well (had some burning) and later at the motel, I discovered a slow puncture that had probably made pedalling a little tougher. Should halve checked at the time! Duh…
I got to Gumibo, the last dam and stamp booth, at about 14:45. Another reason I wasn’t loving this trail today was that is that much of it is adjacent to main roads. Not alongside or in view, but always in earshot. That meant that even next to the river and in trees, you could hear constant motorway traffic. For some reason, that bothered me. Ha.
By the time I got to the turn off to go into Gumi town, I was feeling pretty beat. I took another break under a bridge to escape the sinking sun, then made my final push to the motel about twenty minutes or so from the trail. The room was odd; the front door opened, not into a usual shoe storage and inside porch area, but the toilet and shower! I kid you not. So you open the door, go through the shower room to get into the bedroom. Getting back out after taking a shower (the floor will be wet) takes a bit of mental planning. And when sitting on the toilet, you’d better hope you have locked the door!
After a shower and a nap, I walked about twenty minutes to Huumi Ramen (후우미라멘) for dinner. Pretty tasty. I called Romana then headed back to the motel. Gumi is apparently the home of Kyochon Chicken, a pretty big fried chicken chain in Korea. I didn’t really fancy any today though. I had and ice cream on the tables outside an Emart24 before heading in. I watched an episode of Silo (season 3) then fell asleep considering tomorrow’s plans; go home early, cycle to Daegu, stay in Gumi.
Cycled 71 km. Only 241 km remaining to Busan.
Day 2 – Sept 7
After thinking too long, I opted to stay in Gumi and visit Geumosan Reservoir/lake (금오산저수지). I’d originally planned to cycle on to Daegu but for some reason, wasn’t feeling it. Also didn’t want to waste the day going home early. Another interesting thing about this motel (besides the entrance toilet) is that checkout isn’t until 2 pm!
A few seconds of cycling out of the motel, I realised I had a flat…balls! Thankfully a slow puncture, but that might account for feeling like yesterday’s ride was tougher than it should have been. Once inflated, I cycled about twenty minutes to get to Geumosan (금오산) entrance. The mountain range was a welcome sight after Gumi town. I ate a breakfast of yesterday’s sandwich and some fruit then started walking around the lake. At 9 am, it was already getting hot! The lake has a walkway all around it. The view of the lake with Geumosan behind it is really nice. I stayed till about 11:15, re-inflated my tire, the cycled to a nearby cafe.
Belleville Bake Haus (벨빌베이크하우스) was less than a minute ride and had a garden and view of Geumosan. I got an Einspanner and views of Geumosan.
Cycled back to the hotel. After cycling through Sangju yesterday and Gumi today, my patience with the traffic signalling for pedestrians at intersections was completely gone. I channelled my Cambridge days and took on the persona of a London or NY bicycle courier, ignoring all signs, riding pavements, roads, jumping lights, and all other tactics that annoy the shit out of me when I see other people do it! The ride home was a lot less frustrating and quicker. I packed at the motel, changed the bus time to 13:10 then hightailed it to the bus terminal (2 minutes away). Got into Seoul at 16:10. Another hour to get home. I dropped by the supermarket for supplies, then was full on burn until Romana came home (cleaning, washing, cooking). Poor Romana had been working all week and weekend to get a presentation ready, and had more to do. I made us some fried salmon with broccoli, a Caprese salad with basil from our garden, and some surprisingly decent 6,000 won sauvignon blanc.
Click to the Four Rivers Cross-country Bicycle Path main page.