Here we go everyone, it’s time to be one with nature.

Up until now I think we can safely say that my trip has been centred around the sights and sounds of central Seoul. And while that has been wonderful, fascinating, and a learning experience in itself; what is has lacked are big wild spaces, greenery, and a bit more solitude.

Therefore the second half of my Seoul life is going to be a little more sedate and feature some hiking challenges, getting ready for my road trip and all of the national park walks I shall hopefully be undertaking.  

Namhansanseong Fortress is the backdrop for today’s excursion, and a bit of an expedition it is too. The fortress is located 13 miles (22km) from central Seoul, and while that doesn’t sound that far, by car through city traffic that’s a little over and hour and by subway about 45 minutes (plus a 20 minute bus ride).

Getting to the fortress makes me a little nervous, not for the subway (which I rate top marks for by the way in punctuality, cleanliness, and safety – far better than the tube) but for the bus, as this is my first time attempting to use one! I get to use my T-card (pre-loaded transport card that works for subway, bus, and in some shops actually) on the bus, I tap it when I get on and again when I get off and it records the cost of my journey and deducts it from my card (like an oyster card in London). Here you get on the bus at the front door and you exit though the door in the middle of the bus – stops cramming.

Someone online had handily provided some tips on using the bus to get to the fortress – get off at this exit, follow the people in hiking gear to the bus stop and follow them when they get off the bus – and to be fair that mostly panned out. I guess I started to look a bit nervous and unsure when I thought the stop was approaching as the elderly chap next to me tapped me to indicate I should get up, but then also started talking in Korean and waving his hands in circles. I think I got the gist that he was telling me the bus does a loop and to get back on at the bus stop on the other side. But I could just be making that up (though it turned out to work that way). It also made my morning that he waved at me from the bus as it drove off.

Just to note by the way, Korean bus drivers all seem to have a little bit of the racing gene in them teamed up with a bit of a kamikaze nature. If you get on a bus, I hope you bag a seat. I won’t think anything less of you if you feel the need to close your eyes at times.

Right, a smidge of history and then let’s just get on with the hike.

Namhansanseong Fortress is a mountain fortress of the Joseon era. The wall’s circumference is approximately 7.5miles (12km) and the area contained within the fortress was used as an emergency capital city, accommodating up to 4,000 people. It was built by Buddist warrior monks (I know, that one surprised me too, obviously I need a drama on this) and the period of its development (16^th to 18^th century) was a time of continuous warfare. Suitably impressed by the fortress, the kind UNESCO World Heritage people decided to name this an area of outstanding universal value.

That alone surely means it’s worth a bit of sweat and tears to hike, right?

Oh, and just an off the cuff FYI – in case you haven’t twigged yet, the Korean word ‘san’ means mountain, keep this in the knowledge bank for future reference and you’ll feel really smart in the upcoming posts…

Now for my take on the fortress.

The practical side of things: it’s relatively easy and straight-forward to get to, even with minimal instructions. The maps of the site pretty much suck. While they provide you with colour-coded pathways that are marked, they are not always clear directionally, the paths overlap at points, and it is easy to find you have mistakenly been detoured. They have lots of toilets, don’t worry about being caught short. Bring lunch and water, I am starting to be envious when I see Koreans unpacking a 6 course lunch from their bags while I sit there and eat my nuts and crisps. Be prepared for steps, lots of them, more than you think possible.    

Now here are the pretty bits…

For those who followed my AT blog, you will know I both love and hate hiking in equal measure.

I love the ability to be in nature. To be away from busy things. To have time for my mind to just wander. I like seeing things that most people never have. I love the feeling you can only get after slogging hours up a never-ending vertical slope with sweat dripping down every inch of you, dragging breaths from your lungs like you’re a life-long 40-a-day smoker, questioning every minute why on earth you decided to do this, hating every second and then…arriving at a peak or look out and there’s a cool breeze, an unparalleled view, you don’t have to go upwards anymore, and you feel like you’ve just being given the best present in the world.     

Today felt like that.

It’s been a while since I’ve hiked. Things that involved any type of real height of effort. And any real distance. Namhansanseong certainly gave me a work out. There were points were I couldn’t even bear to look up because the damn stairs just wouldn’t quit. And frustration when I realised that I didn’t have a clue where I was on the map, but then the realisation I didn’t really care and it wasn’t a big deal. If I just kept walking I would get somewhere eventually, and I did, and it turned out to be right where I needed to be anyway. I liked the fact there were other people around, but when you wandered out on to the longer distance trails, the number of people just drifted away a bit and there was solitude.

Simply put, it’s worth the hike. And the residual pain in your legs the next day (for those who haven’t properly hiked in a while).

Tomorrow is another day and another hike – it’s time to start the Seoul City Wall trail…who’s with me?