Day 1-2 of 6-day solo road trip

I spent two nights at Daddonjae Auto Campsite next to Woraksan in Chungcheongbuk-do, about two hour’s drive from Seoul.

The cycle

Once I arrived and got set up, I cycled north to the ‘nearby’ Chungju lake (충주호). A really nice place, well worth visiting again to cycle around or hike. The waters are a really great green colour and there were a few pleasure boats moving around. I also explored part of Deokju Mountain Fortress where there were remains of what was probably an awesome wall. I walked up the wall as much as I could before it got too rocky. It looks like it goes on for a while. Cycling was nice~ish; roads aren’t so wide, so of course, be careful!

The hike

Next morning, I parked on the main road near Deogjusa temple (덕주사) and started hiking. I stopped off at the temple and found a sweet spot for a coffee. Lovely!

My route took me east, then north to the peak (Yeongbong – 영봉), then retraced my steps south a bit then west via an alternative route to Jagwangsa temple (광사). It took about 6 hours in total and was quite challenging. The mountain is fantastic though. Getting to the peak is quite straightforward and there are a lot of walkways and steps, par for the course in Korea. One set of metal steps was very impressive, On the way, I met a work crew rebuilding the walkways. They were all from Russia and Kazakhstan and were quite chatty. They were camping on the mountain during the week and were being supplied with a Soviet-era helicopter which I had passed parked the previous day while looking for the campsite and had heard buzzing around the mountain while hiking.

The way in for my hike:

Jagwangsa temple, the finishing point. I walked back to my car from here.

On my final morning, (on my way to meet my wife, brother-in-law and two nieces for one night camping and BBQ in Yangpyeong), I stopped by a cool looking village for a coffee at a coffee shop/cycle repair shop, with more great views of the mountains.

*Important notes on camping

Getting a spot at the campsite wasn’t so easy; I had chosen a week day and had assumed I could stroll right in a get a spot…nope! Korean National Park Service campsites (the ones with open facilities) require reservations, no exceptions! Go to the KNPS campsites (English) website and sign up. It’s not too difficult and is necessary! Ask a friend to help. On this occasion, I had to practically beg to get a spot; they only allowed me because they felt sorry for me AND they had space. I was wondering what the big deal was since the spots were all free. On Friday night, they were almost full, so that’s why! It was a pleasant camping ground I can’t remember how much I paid, but there were showers (1,000 or 2,000 won, between certain times) and electricity. You could also see the mountain

The Daddonjae Auto Campsite (reserve first!):