The Great, Great Wall

There are a few different sections of the Great Wall which are accessible from Beijing and I’d deliberated long and hard about which to visit. The closest part, Badaling, is apparently over-run with tour groups, so that was to be avoided. I narrowed it down to either visiting Mutianyu (a close-ish, restored section of wall) OR doing a 6km hike between Jinshanling and Simatai – quite a bit further from the city and hence visited by far fewer people. 

I liked the sound of the latter, but was a bit concerned after the organiser kept emphasising that it was an extremely difficult and strenuous hike which involved scrambling across steep and crumbling sections of the wall. Still, I knew I’d feel like I'd let myself down if I took the easy option and after all, it’s not like I'm a completely novice hiker. So finally I decided to go for it.

It was a brilliant decision. Yes it was tiring, yes it was steep, yes there was some scrambling involved... but it was really not that bad. The wall is so wide that I was never scrambling near to the edge (!) and it was worth it for the incredible views, the exhilaration and the chance to spend so much time on the wall. 

First proper view of the wall, at Jinshanling

Disappearing into the horizon...

What a wall!

It was also good to be able to see so many different parts of the wall: we passed through 22 watchtowers in total and the section at Jinshanling had been restored to its former glory while the bit at Simatai was an original section - now rugged and crumbling away. 

One of the steepest sections, near Simatai

Hands were required!

The wall was just like you see in the classic photos: snaking up and down across every hilltop, until it disappeared into the distance – just breathtaking. It was a perfect day for hiking: cool, clear and sunny and there were lots of other really nice people to chat to. We were a group of about 20 - on a trip organised by a backpackers hostel (although I wasn't staying there… ahem!) – but since it was a fairly long hike and everyone walks at a different pace, there were plenty of times when it was just me and the wall (and not because I was last!).

Loving the Great Wall!

Just like in the photos!

In one of the watchtowers

It was one of those occasions when you see something so amazing that you are taking an almost constant stream of photos, as each new turn reveals another beautiful view and each step offers just a SLIGHTLY different (potentially better?) angle! So yes I was exhausted, but very happy when we made it to Simatai. A really fantastic day!

Beautiful autumn colours, as we neared Simatai

Almost at Simatai...