By: Blonde One
Probably my best walking experience so far, was walking on the Great Wall of China. This is strange considering how much I love Dartmoor and walking in all sorts of natural areas. The Great Wall is so far removed from what I usually love!
We travelled from the bustling capital city of Beijing to the Juyongguan (Juyong Pass) location for our walk. It didn’t take long to leave the enormous high rise skyscrapers and reach the twisting, winding roads of the countryside. This area of the wall was originally built in the 5th Century during the Northern Wei Dynasty and has been subsequently rebuilt several times. As it’s the closest area to the city it is the most popular for tourists. It didn’t take much walking however, to get away from most of the tourists. The steps were very very steep and totally uneven so most people were more than happy to stay low down.
The wall was originally built during the Qin Dynasty in 221 to 206 BC to defend against attacking tribes from the north. It’s clear why so much of the wall has crumbled to almost nothing, or been so heavily restored and renovated that it seems to be brand new. The wall is thought to be over 21,000 km long in total and contrary to popular belief, it can’t be seen from space!
It was a completely overwhelming feeling, to be walking on one of the new seven wonders of the world. Fabulous!
