Haebyeongil (해변길) - Uihang (의항)

As some of you may not know, I’m currently teaching in Taean, located in the province of Chungcheongnam-do, off the west coast of South Korea. One thing I love about my job is that on Monday mornings I head off to a small elementary school in the fishing village of Uihang (의항/蟻項) which is situated in a small peninsula north of the well known Manripo beach. Right beside the school there is a trail called the “Haebyeongil (해변길)”

“Haebyeongil,” which literally means “The path by the sea,” is a trail system which more or less follows the coastline of Taean. The Uihang peninsula is part of the “Sowon” section of the trail, which allows hikers to walk along the shores of the peninsula. 

I started my hike at Uihang beach, and started made my way up the west coast of the peninsula. The water levels between the tides are quite extreme in this part of the country, with low tide revealing interesting scenes which are hidden under the water during high tide.

As I continued on the trail, which gradually gets steeper, the first landmark I encountered was Guruempo beach (그름포/雲浦). What I found interesting about this section of the trail are the numerous abandoned routes which have been closed off with dirt mounds. Being alone I did not venture into those trails, not knowing why they were closed off and what lay ahead of them. 

Continuing on my way, there were sections of the path where the trail and the coastline are just separated by a line of pine trees. Although it was dangerous with the howling winter winds threatening to dislodge me off the trail and into the rocky shoreline below, the scenery which lay before my eyes was worth the risk. 

Being a tight schedule, I took a detour which took me into the small fishing town of Uihang. Here, the locals rely on oyster farming as well as commercial fishing.  As my time was almost up, I walked to the bus stop and waited for the two o’clock bus to arrive. If you’re interested on walking this section of the trail take the local bus at Taean Bus Terminal at bus bay 11.