Today is the day.

It is the day for trees, plants, and nature.

It is the day for sand and sea.

It is the day I can finally say that I have set foot in, walked, and hiked in all of the 22 national parks of Korea.

Today, my hiking passport challenge is complete.

I have travelled to Taean county, an area of land that juts out on the slightly north-western coast of Korea. It is here among the sand, rocks, and sea that I will find my last hiking destination, Taeanhaean National Park. And if you are searching pristine beaches with solitude, you can’t do better than Taeanhaean in autumn and winter.

However, before we get to the park, we first have another very important stop to make on route. And that is to come and see this…

Now, you are going to either say one of two things when you see this picture; ‘OK, well it’s a tree. It’s a nice big tree, but a tree.’ Or you might go with, ‘Oh my god! It’s THE tree! That’s freaking amazing!’

I guess this is a good way to easily identify the kdrama fans in the room.

For those of you desperate to have this same moment, you can. The tree in question, most frequently referred to as the ‘Love Tree’ or the ‘Tree of Love’, stands with the grounds of a fortress atop Seongheungsan mountain, not far from the city of Buyeo.

You don’t require anything special to visit (well, maybe a car), there is no charge and no opening hours. It is just standing there ready for you to pop over and say hello whenever the mood takes you. Admittedly it is another one of those destinations where the driving to the top of the mountain is a little bit hairy, nerves of steel and all that, for the road is very steep and narrow and with no place to pass should you meet a car in the other direction.

When you park, it only takes about ten minutes to walk the short hill and few steps, before the tree appears right above you.

For those of you who would like a bit of clarification, this tree is exceptionally famous having been featured in countless kdramas, the most recent of which is Alchemy of Souls which just finished airing on Netflix this month. It is a Zelkova tree, the same species as the Dansan Tree that I saw on my hike a week or so ago at Mudeungsan National Park, and it is thought to be approximately 400 years old.

Having now visited the site and then watched Alchemy of Souls, it really adds a super special dimension to my viewing. I can work out the angles that the scenes were filmed from and what is surrounding the tree itself. And if you’re curious, the tree sits right on the edge of the entrance to the fort, the rest of which looked like this on the day I visited….

The pagoda that sits on the hilltop above the tree is really a beautiful one and incredibly atmospheric where it is nestled and shaded by the trees. When you continue past it to the very top of the fortress, you will find a fairly large open area that is covered in grass, which as you can see is fairly deep, dense, and bouncy underfoot. For clarification, I walked through this and was terrified every step of squashing a snake, but it had to be done (the walking, not the squashing).

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time here, both for the fortress and the tree. It is a really nice site to visit, especially when you understand the connections that go with it. As I visited fairly early in the morning, there were only two other people here when I arrived, but it did start to get ‘busy’ after a while, though by that time I had already managed to take about 300 pictures of the tree. Yes, that’s not really an exaggeration. I like trees remember. And especially this one.

With my tree hugging complete, it is time for the last of my national parks.

As with the other coastal parks I have visited, Taeanhaean has multiple points available to stop at and experience the sea and sand. Kkotji Beach is my initial destination for the afternoon, it is mentioned frequently as a splendid beach, but when I arrive there seems to be both a lot of construction work going on along the beach front road and quite a few people down on the sand, neither of which appeal to me.

However, I park up the car and go to check out the nearby hiking board as I intend not to just hang out on a beach, but of course walk the trails that scattered throughout the park.

The board tells me the path leads away from here, across a colourful footbridge, through a small forest, up to an observation point and then continues along to several beaches further up the coast. Right, well, I am up for that. So off I trot.

From my starting point I go from Kkotji Beach to Bangpo Beach, from nice yellow sand at Kkotji to more sand and pebbles over at Bangpo. I stop to have a convenience store toasted sandwich at Bangpo, making this the first time I’ve used a microwave in a shop (obviously very exciting to me), and some banana milk (yes, this is an addiction). Bangpo, I am very excited to find, is covered in sea glass. Well, when I say covered, it isn’t covered, but you know, there’s a fair amount to spot. This is exciting to me as I have been charged by my friend Flea to collect some sea glass while I am here for him to use in his crafting at home. Usually when he and I go glass hunting, I am useless at it. Worse than useless really. I can’t spot the stuff no matter how hard I try. But here at Bangpo, I come up trumps and am very pleased with my haul.

Today, obviously completely misreading the type of terrain I might have to walk over, I have stupidly come out hiking in my crocs. By the time I have completed my excursion up and down the beach, I am ready to retrace my steps back to the car and head off to try another section of the park.

I specifically head to Anmyeondo Ranger Station at Sambong Beach as this is where I assume that I will be able to find my last hiking stamp, planning to collect it first while they are open, and then continue my beach walking. However I discover, thanks to the nice ranger lady and both us trying our best to communicate in Korean (definitely no English out this way), that the stamp I want is actually down at Gijipo Beach, about 5 minutes away by car.

It’s at this point I make an executive decision. Time is getting on today and it’s almost time for me to check in to my new accommodation, which I have yet to locate. I decide to drive to Gijipo, take a quick stroll on the beach to be sure I set foot on it, claim my stamp, and then come back tomorrow for a proper hike to fully satisfy myself that I deserve to say my challenge is complete.

So that’s exactly what I do.

It turns out it was the best plan.

I check in to my new digs, delight in the view from the window, note that this is the most countrified place I have stayed in during my travels, and then spend the evening relaxing while planning my next day’s adventure. And yes, that’s Spam and ramen.

The following day, I have nature on my mind again. More trees and plants, sand and sea.

The morning sees me take a trip to Chollipo Arboretum, located on the north-west point of the Taean peninsula, this 150 acre botanical garden was created by a Korean American gentleman after the Korean War and was one of the earliest (if not the first) private arboretums in Korea.

I debated over visiting Chollipo at first. I knew I wanted to go to and look at a botanical garden while I was here and had the choice of two. The other was closer to where I was staying and was one of the filming sites for Crash Landing on You, one of my favourite dramas (just completed my 5^th re-watch recently). But it was small, expensive, and there was really on one section of it that really meant anything to me; so I went in the total opposite direction and visited instead a place that was bigger, an hour’s drive away, and crossed my fingers it would be good.

And it totally was.

Chollipo was enchanting. I like it for the following reasons: it was well thought out and divided into clear sections; the map gave a clear route to take in order to make the most of the gardens; the plant choices mean that there is something to see ‘in season’ no matter what time of year you come; it contains areas that are open, forested, and coastal all in one place; and most importantly for me, the vast majority of trees and plants are labelled both in Korean and English, meaning I can attempt to learn their names.   

While most of my pictures from Chollipo look this this…

Here is a flavour of the gardens themselves…

It is easy to while away the hours here and I did exactly that. I strolled. And by that I mean I s t r o l l e d. There was nothing that could convince me to hurry around this place today; I took in all it had to give me and then some. I really know the value of a place when I visit it and it comes time to leave, I hesitate and have to consider if that’s really what I want to do. And that’s exactly what happened to me today. So much so, I got to the shop area at the end, paused and then turned around and went back into the gardens to double check I had seen all the plants I wanted.  

It was a glorious morning, and it was followed by an equally magical afternoon next to the sea.

While I was not necessarily overwhelmed with the beach landscapes I had seen yesterday, it is with my choice of walking location today that I score the jackpot – Anmyeon Beach. Forget the others; if you ever decide to visit Taeanhaean National Park, this is the place to come.

I returned to the ranger station from yesterday to park my car, because I had noticed that there was a main trail head that runs from here at Sambong Beach back in the direction towards Bangpo. When I set out, I didn’t really have a time scale for my walk, but as it turns out it was such a wonderful experience, I didn’t leave here until sunset.

The trail from Sambong consists of beach front boardwalk with small side trails every now and then that pop out onto the actual sand. The boardwalk also meanders through the pine woodland right next to the beach and provides a pleasing, restful, and serene location for a stroll. As a bonus, you get to meet interesting characters along the way.

I quickly reach Gijipo where the stamp box is located, and so decide to just keeping walking until I feel like stopping. And that’s how I ended up at Anmyeon Beach.

There is no-one here at Anmyeon. I passed one lady as I started walking the trail early today, but apart from that, I have had the whole path to myself. When I reach the main beach front and discover it empty, well, that’s just perfect for me. I kick off my hiking shoes and let my feet enjoy the soft cool sand. This beach is the very definition of picturesque. I alternate between splashing my feet through the slightly chilly shallows, walking the harder packed sand near the rippling waves, and beachcombing in the softer loose sand higher up the beach.

If you like shells, this place is for you. I’m not necessarily saying you will find anything that is unusual or rare here, but all of the shells are different and in perfect condition; not smashed up or missing bits as I usually see at home. There are tiny colourful looking snail-type shells, as well as one that are as large as my closed fist. I see some that are conch-like, with spiky points emanating from them. Oyster shells are numerous as are those that are slightly tube-shaped that make me want to say the word ‘razorbill’ but I don’t know why.

When I wasn’t admiring shells, I took time to just clear my mind and reflect. I am becoming more aware of my trip nearing its end. I am also increasingly aware how much this trip has affected me physically and mentally. I love being outdoors, I love having clear skies to gaze upon and mountains on the horizon. I’m amazed that people live here with the hills and the beach right on their doorstep and they can step foot on them whenever they like. I love the serenity I have found here, something that I have never had anywhere else or at any time in my life. I understand quite clearly that I will miss being here on a deep and profound level. I realise I don’t want to lose the knowledge I have gained about myself while here.

I have no idea how long I walked for, how many hours and minutes passed by. I know this is another first for me, to come to a place and completely lose sense of time, to simply not care or notice. To just enjoy the moment.           

When I finally notice the sun is starting to wane, I finally admit that I will need to turn around and head back to Sambong before sunset. I casually wander the boardwalk, greet a few other people who now seem to be appearing as the afternoon wears on, and watch as the sun throws light and shadow through the trees.

I reach Sambong just as the sun begins to set, my last on a Korean beach.

And as always, what a sunset it is.

And there you have it; I am finally calling time on my walking adventures and hereby proclaim that I have now fully completed my three month Korean hiking challenge. And what a challenge it was. One I will never forget.