Cheonggyesan is a mountain just outside Seoul. There’s a station right at the foot of it, so getting there is easy. And since it’s Seoul, Ttareungi, the city’s public bike share, goes there too. Riding out on a bike as part of the workout is another option.

Food first, before heading up..

There was a gimbap place nearby, so I went in. It looked like nothing special, yet loads of people were queueing, so I figured it must be a great spot, but the taste wasn’t really at that level. It felt more like business is good because the hikers, the cyclists and the people from the nearby apartments out for the weekend have nowhere else to go.. Next time I’ll just sort myself out at a convenience store..

The entrance to Cheonggyesan

I had no idea at the time, but the gondre place you can see up ahead, Gondeurejip, is famous for its bulgogi, according to the Daksin TV channel..

The map

I kept it light and just tagged Ongnyeobong and Maebong before coming back down.

On the way up

The view over Seoul

Gwacheon Racecourse

Looking toward Gwacheon

Maebong

The thing I failed to factor in, I think, was my own stamina. By the time I got to Maebong I was running completely on empty.. I should have packed a bit more food or something to drink..

The view

The way down isn’t hard, but with my legs gone it wasn’t easy either.

Orakai Hotel

The biggest thing about Cheonggyesan is that there’s an Orakai hotel there. There are restaurants, but it turns out there’s a sauna too.

The sauna

It isn’t large, but it was spotless. Perfect for shaking off the fatigue. Then again, thinking about it, not bringing a change of clothes was another problem. Next time I’ll prepare a bit more thoroughly.

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