Seoul to Busan.
620 kilometres across Korea in twelve days, on a tandem and a kids' bike, with my two daughters.
Mostly quiet riverside paths, a stamped passport at every bright red phone box, a lot of snacks, plenty of laughs and a few tough hills. A brilliant trip for families, and a memory I really wanted to keep somewhere.
Passports collected and the first stamp inked before we'd properly woken up. The girls loved the bright red phone boxes dotted along the route, each one a certification booth, each one a small ceremony of lining up the rubber stamp just so. From the Ara West Sea Lock the path slips quietly out of the city and hands you to the river.
The route crosses and re-crosses the rivers on a run of impressive dam structures, long, low, faintly industrial, and a welcome change of texture from the path. The girls did well alternating turns between the tandem and the kids' bike; splitting the day into segments kept things interesting, manageable and, most importantly, motivated.
The longest day came in at 75 kilometres, and we rode the back half of it into a long pink sunset, the girls quiet on the pedals, the city lights coming up across the water. Tired, but the good kind.
The girls did well alternating turns between the tandem and the bike. It helped massively, splitting each day into segments kept things interesting, kept the load manageable, and kept everyone motivated to the next red box.
Split the country into small segments and a 620-kilometre ride becomes a string of snack stops, stamps and small wins.
The one proper climb of the trip had Elizabeth dancing on the pedals all the way up, out of the saddle, fully committed, and faster than her old man would admit. What goes up earns a long sit-down at the top.
The Circe Helios tandem carried the bulk of the luggage, panniers front and back, the kitchen sink somewhere in there, and never missed a beat. Big, heavy, and weirdly good fun to ride two-up across a country.
Even in the remote parts of the country there was some striking architecture in view from the trail, strange, sculptural things rising out of the fields, half expected and half not. We started calling them the alien invasion.
This was a brilliant route for kids and a gentle introduction to touring, safe, well signed, friendly, and full of small moments we'll remember for a long time. We'll definitely be back to ride more in Korea.
Each stage is a separate Strava activity, browse forward there for the rest.
