Most of my bikepacking expeditions are constantly inspired by a conversation or boredom. This one was no different.
Before this recent trip came to fruition, I talked with a friend (Mngani), expressing my desire to cycle from my city (Jeonju) to Jirisan National park, about 184km in the southeast. After carefully studying the route, pinning possible rest stops where I can find food and water. I went to bed that night pretty confident about my pending trip.

A change of mind
After the night of my resolve, I met up with Mngani for dinner. I told him about my plans. It turned out he was planning to cycle a shorter route, also in the south. We’ve bike packed longer distances together before and have come out triumphant. 

Heads up
Most buses from Jeonju to Imsil can’t store two bikes. If you’re bikepacking with friends, consider leaving the city at different times. Mngani took an earlier bus since he finished work at 19:00. I finish work much later, so I took the 22:40. Imsil is only about 45 minutes away from Jeonju, so the wait won’t be too long. When I arrived in Imsil, we grabbed dinner on the go from a convenience store because we knew there would be no shops for at least another 40km once we got on the riverside. Our only plan for the night was to find a place to camp as close to the bike trail as possible to avoid spending the better part of the morning navigating our way out of Imsil. 

It’s pretty straightforward.
Finding Doekchin-gun — where the trail to Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do, was not a challenging mission to accomplish. We reached it by 01:00. Even though we still had enough energy to keep going, we chose to call it a day. There’s nothing to see at night, and we wanted to enjoy the scenery during daylight.

Patience is virtue
Not being familiar with the area and in a bid to play it safe, we settled for the first seemingly “perfect” camp spot we saw, a concrete pavilion situated close to a public bathroom. Later that morning, we learned there was a better one, only if we had been a little patient. Our impatience would persist for most of the weekend. We would cycle for hours then rest at a place we think cannot be topped, only to realise we chose wrong a few minutes later.

Two bikes and a tent

Doekchi-Myeon — 20 km outside of Imsil. It is right on the trail. This is where we rested for the first night. We woke up so sore from sleeping on concrete.

Resting under a bridge
Summers in South Korea are a scorcher. Therefore, we made an effort to start cycling just before sunrise, then rest when the sun is at its highest. Even so, before noon, it would get so hot that we had regular unplanned breaks to avoid heatstroke. To keep cool, I kept my clothes drenched. The last mistake we made was to take a premature break under a bridge because looking ahead, all we saw was a narrow road snaking between greenfields, with no shade whatsoever. So, we decided to make a pit stop under the bridge—a grave mistake. A few metres from the bridge, there was a pavilion we couldn’t see because the bridge’s pillars shielded us from it. From that moment on, we decided that even if we see a decent resting place, we should assume a better one ahead. And that’s what we did.

Resting under a gazebo

I’m pretty sure mosquitoes were having a festival here. There were so many of them that even our repellent failed to protect us. Feast on us, they did.

There’s always a better resting stop ahead.
For our restraint, we were rewarded with a gazebo with a wooden floor. Unlike the cold and hard concrete floor we slept on the night before. This particular pavilion was also an arms reach away from the river. Therefore we were able to take a bath outdoors. 

bathing by the river

We were so excited to find this spot by the river. After eight hours of being on the saddle, one can get musty, as you can imagine. To be able to bathe in the river was utterly refreshing.

If I were alone, I probably would have camped in this treehouse. ^^

Don’t judge me for not wearing a bike helmet. This trail was pretty safe. The sun wasn’t. Therefore I opted for a straw hat instead.

You won’t get lost
Most cycling trails in South Korea are so well marked that you can almost follow the path to the finish line without looking at your map. Note, I said “almost”. The trails are not as well marked when you get into the cities. This is where the map comes in. You have to rely on it to navigate your way out of the concrete jungles and sometimes rice farms.

I think Koreans put dye on their grass. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

These are the pictures I took as we cycled past the counties and cities.

Gokseong-gun
I will remember this place as an all art and no food village. I fail to understand how business owners would choose to close their restaurants on a Saturday afternoon. It doesn’t make financial sense. We cycled up and down this village looking for nourishment, just when we were about to give up, we saw Kimbap Chingu. It’s not the best eatery in town. But we feared that if we didn’t eat there, we would have to continue our journey on empty stomachs. I had already started feeling nauseous and lightheaded. We decided not to risk it, so we ate mediocre fried rice and bibimbap.

I exaggerate not when I tell you every square inch of this country is covered in sculpture. If I lived here, I would never be sad.

Mangithi “pitch black”, wena uthi “afro!”

A village obsessed with trains
Once I had eaten, I could admire this village’s beauty fully. It is well kept and mad about steam trains. Our journey took us to Seomjingang. A tiny town that was developed in 1999 to attract tourists. It replicates the old steam train that runs between the Seomjingang and Gokseong villages. The theme park is something to marvel at too.

The best way of telling people that this is a train station is by putting up a toy train.

A bridge fashioned out a steam train.

Gurye-gun
By sunset on Saturday, we crossed over to another province, Jeollonam-do. There was no time to stop for long breaks to appreciate the endless beauty of the villages leading to the city, as we were fast running out of daylight, which is necessary for setting up camp in unfamiliar territory. We were also in desperate need of a bath.  

Sunset in Gurye.

We managed to find this winner of a newly built pavilion. It was right across the river. We also managed to wash a few items we needed for the next day.

Ms Wasabi and two bikes

High on Powerade.

The final leg of the trip
On Sunday morning, we eventually crossed over to Gwangyang city. This city is famous for stunning apricot trees and Ume flowers (plum blossoms). Gwangyang was by far my favourite part of the expedition. Think, perfect swimming spots, rolling hills and virtually no humans. Sigh!

Pretty serene, huh?

No, cars, no people. Sometimes it felt like we were the only ones in the world.

A brief stop at the science expo.

What to take on the road

  • Tent
  • Camping mattress
  • Mosquito repellents 
  • Headlight
  • Flashlight
  • Spare tube
  • Tool kit
  • Sunscreen
  • Snacks 
  • Plenty of water
  • Power bank (external battery)

This list may vary depending on your needs. 

Despite the minor challenges we faced along the way, the trip was overall a success, and we had a fantastic time tackling it.