Alone on the Great Wall

What to do if you prefer a less crowded experience while taking in the breathtaking scale of the Great Wall? You find someone you trust to make the plans, then watch as they fall into place and become perfected in the most improbable fashion.

The sketch of the plan was to take the subway to the inter-city bus terminal, then a bus for an hour out to Huairou, then another bus for an hour to Zhuangdaokou. With a choice between the Lakeside Reserve or a steep climb up to the wall.

As it happened, when our friend went to pay the driver for our bus tickets, someone overheard our destination and offered to arrange a van for us. The price was right, he was convincing, suggesting we could see both sights with the van, so we took a chance and agreed. When we got to the bus station in Huairou we were inundated with offers from drivers, some much cheaper but a less known quantity, so we stuck with our original deal. It was an excellent choice.

We header off with our driver and wound our way through little villages until we reached the lakeside wall park.

A short walk took down to the reservoir brought us to a section of the wall we could see but not climb far on. Still, an ideal spot for family photos.

The next stop was lunch. Our driver peered at a number of places we passed, and then finally settled on a restaurant built around a courtyard at the side of the road. We were the only people there, so it seemed unlikely to impress. What followed was a wonderful feast of Beijing and area dishes, very well cooked. Settling the bill for 13 people (3 families plus 2 drivers), the total came to just over $3 per person.

A short drive away was a much more rustic place to access the wall. For a nominal charge to cross private land, we followed a short steep path up to a completely unrestored section of the wall. Jess and I along with two of our friends made the climb while the rest waited patiently by the vans.

The wall was completely deserted, with a view of the wall stretching across the hills. Incredible seeing firsthand the scale and the detail in the construction. An amazing experience!

We scrambling back down to the van reluctantly, then retraced our journey, through the villages with the horn blaring at anything on or near the road, the bus ride back to Beijing through an early evening thunderstorm, and the crushing crowds of Beijing rush hour on the subway. All of it well worth it!

Jess was already asking if we could scramble further along the wall - the next time we come to China.