WALK THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
China’s 2,000-year-old Great Wall, twisting and swooping through unspoilt countryside, is a sight you’ll never forget. Even better when you head out of the city and find remote, crumbling stretches all to yourself.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL
There are around 5,000 miles of wall snaking across northern China, from the sands of the Taklamakan desert to the shore of the Bo Sea east of Beijing. A series of overlapping military fortifications rather than a single continuous boundary, the Great Wall is the world’s largest man-made structure, a remarkable feat of engineering that is at its most impressive around Beijing.
To protect the capital from marauding Mongols and Manchus, it was rebuilt in brick and stone in the 16th century on the massive scale of traditional Chinese city walls.
Most tourists head for the recently restored sections around Badaling and Mutianyu which are easy to negotiate. But for atmosphere, unspoilt countryside and a physical challenge, the best walking is to be had along the crumbling stretches that flank Huanghuacheng
and Jinshanling where you can munch on wild berries and dine with farmers.
YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…
That first sight of an unbroken line of watchtowers and ramparts twisting and swooping along the ridge line all the way to the horizon.
INSIDER TIP
April and October are the best months in which to visit: temperatures are comfortably warm and the landscape is at its colourful best.
HOW TO DO IT
Popular with expats, Beijing Hikers (beijinghikers.com) arranges group hikes along a different offbeat stretch of the Great Wall each day, led by knowledgeable local leaders. It can also organise longer private tours.
Adventure specialists G Adventures (gadventures.co.uk) and Exodus (exodus.co.uk) offer longer small-group walking tours staying in guesthouses within reach of the best stretches of the Ming-era wall north of Beijing.