Beijing - Day 3 AM

This morning we were up at 06:00, breakfasted and ready for the off at 07:00 for one of the trip's highlights - The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of the country as the great military defence project of successive Chinese Empires, with a total length of more than 20,000 kms.   It begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists of walls, horse tracks, watch towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses and passes along its length.

There are 8 main sections accessible from Beijing and we are heading for the Juyong Pass, located in an 18 km long  valley 50+ kms north east of Beijing and generally considered one of the three greatest passes on the Great Wall of China.

En route we passed The Bird's Nest, Beijing's Olympic stadium but I didn't have much warning so it's a rubbish grab shot.

The drive took around 1 1/2 hours and these are my first glimpses of the wall from the coach.

The coach park was only about 1/4 full and the toilets clean, with western options.  So suitably prepared we headed off to the entrance and of course I immediately started clicking away.

We knew we only had about 2 hours there and given Ian's dodgy knee we were keen to get going as soon as we could, so when the local guide took the group off to get naff I Climbed The Great Wall bamboo souvenirs made we said we were heading off and boy, were we right to do so.  This is the climb that faced us and what's more the steps were huge in places, 18-24" at times.

A very welcome place for a short rest.

The views of the wall across the other side of the valley were fabulous, more like I'd hope to see.

And it was so worth lugging my big lens with me.

An hour or so later into the climb and it really had got rather crowded, with some of the early visitors now making their way down.  We kept saying we'd only go on a few more steps and then would extend that and push on, but we realised we just wouldn’t have time to get right up to the top AND back down again (which in some respects was harder) in the time allowed.  

A couple of the younger, fitted chaps did make it right up to the top but there still wasn't a view to be had - shame.

Looking straight down at the complex below.

Temple building back nearer the bottom.

When Mum visited she went to the Mutianyu section and, looking at her pictures, I really wish we’d been able to see that area.  Apart from the complete lack of people, the way the wall snakes around the countryside is exactly how I imagined it.

 

Both are described as “moderate” climbs but Mutianyu is a slightly longer drive and has the benefit of a cable car so I guess it gets even more crowded and why we didn't visit there.

 “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a real man”

or so Chairman Mao is alleged to have said.