If the Beijing wall were a series of guidebooks, the Gubeikou-Simatai section would be the Lonely Planet – undeveloped for large-scale tourism but attracting groups of like-minded people all seeking out their own slice of private wall. It is also one of the best relatively remote sections of the Great Wall that can easily be hiked by people without 3000 kilometres of experience behind them. That was good news for us when we first came to China in 2005, having never stepped foot on the world’s longest wall before.
A charity fundraising group from England tackles the Gubeikou wall
Our first journey to the Great Wall was with Intrepid Travel as part of a fundraising campaign for the NSW Cancer Council. We did what most groups do – walk from Gubeikou to Simatai over two days, struggling down the hill in the middle at Jinshanling and asking ourselves how the hell were we ever going to reach the part of the wall that we could see in the distance.
You want me to go up that! The Simatai wall running up the furthest ridge
An original watchtower with Simatai in the distance
For very good reasons, this section is still very popular with the charity groups – in fact, when we were there a few weeks ago as part of this walk, we came across a group from England raising money for breast cancer and another Intrepid Travel group. Walking this section gives people the chance to see 20 kilometres of mostly original wall in absolutely stunning scenery.
No loose stones or falling rocks, now that’s what I call smooth walking
Might be a bit steep, but wall like this poses no danger to walkers
Apart from a few kilometres in the middle at Jinshanling, the wall is mostly unreconstructed but has suffered far less damage than many of the other parts of the wall we have seen. This means you can still see elements of original Great Wall construction without feeling like it was put together for your benefit as a tourist.
The arrow loop – soldiers can view the enemy through the top hole while remaining protected and shoot through the lower hole
Barrier walls – shown here on a reconstructed section – were designed to protect soldiers when steep slopes would otherwise leave them exposed to enemy fire
Barrier walls on an original section
The extension in the middle is a wall terrace or horse face wall that gave soldiers a better view and a more flexible battlefield
I’ve been waiting all year for photos I can recognise
Did you go down the flying fox again?
Kel
Again , some very wonderful photographs…glad that there were no loose stones or falling rocks there, just the good touristy stuff, and if you have already walked there, why didn’t you skip that bit?? Di
Saluti di Dolomiti – and how appreciative I now am about what it means to walk day after day! I tried out my new walking stick and agree it is nice – good for stiff shoulders, too. But I don’t like 2 – didn’t you need to feel you had a free hand?
The end must surely be in sight by now, give or take the fog. Hope it is a good feeling.
Best,
Jane
Wow! Congrats on coming up with a great idea and a great production. This blog is awesome! It came up in my search for my old childhood friends from the Sydney suburb of Castle Cove- if this is the same Emma, hello again! Pity you won’t be back in Sydney this July- I’ll be traveling through on my way to visit some relatives. If you’re ever back in the states (the SF Bay Area to be exact) let me know and we can fire up a good hike and try to remember the old times. take care and have an excellent time over the rest of your trip.
Dan
Not THE Dan Brown !!!