Gangchon Rail Bike Review (Autumn)
Read my post “About Gangchon Rail Park” for information on how to get there and how to get the tickets.
“Should we try out the rail bike?” I asked my husband, “It’s quite near Nami Island.”
“Yes, it looks like an interesting and unique experience. Let’s do it!”
If only the decision process were that simple. What traversed between these two sentences was a myriad of reasons why we shouldn’t ride on the rail bike, mainly due to my young toddler (16-month-old).
Reasons we almost didn’t ride
Firstly, our schedule would become tight if we account for the transfers from Nami Island to Gangchon Rail Park. Gapyeong Rail Park would have more convenient from Nami Island, but I preferred Gangchon.
Secondly, I was unsure how safe it was to carry a 16-month-old baby during the ride, the T&Cs excluded children below three for insurance. Thirdly, I was sure Baby E could not sit still on my lap for more than 10 minutes. Lastly, I did not think I had the strength to babywear her for the whole journey in the autumn cold, while pedalling. Even though hubby was the designated main cyclist, I am not a leech.
In the end, my playful self was willing to take the risk of having a baby on board. I couldn’t give up trying this activity when we were quite near the rail park. So here comes my Gangchon Rail Bike Review!
Logistics
Before that, you might want to know the logistical aspects of this trip. For that, you can refer to my other post, “About Gangchon Rail Park“:
- Why Gangchon Rail Park over Gapyeong Rail Park (since the latter is nearer to Nami Island)
- Directions to and from Gangchon Rail Park
- Booking of the tickets. One easy way is to book through travel websites such as Klook
and Trazy.
Arriving At Gangchon Rail Park
The photo taken at the park entrance (see below) was taken at the end of the rail bike activity. We didn’t have the luxury of time in the beginning. What happened?
Starting from Nami Island’s ferry terminal…
I looked left and right, but the taxis were not coming as quickly, and we were at the end of the queue. All those in line were on the same ferry as us, coming from Nami Island, and we were many steps slower. Nearing our turn, there were two taxis turning in, one for the family before us and another one for us. As the taxis were about to U-turn, a tourist bus got stuck and blocked their way. I was taking deep breaths by now.
When we finally hopped onto the taxi and whisked off to Gapyeong station, it was now the subway taking a long time to come. Even a mere 10-minute wait seemed so long when rushing.
…to Gimyujeong Station,
I was getting nervou as we were going to be late. We had booked a two-seater for the 3:30 PM session via Klook (Btw, two-seater is apparently a more popular choice, so book early!). It was stipulated that we should arrive half an hour earlier, aka 3:00 PM. When we reached Gimyujeong Station, I looked at my watch, “3:25 PM”. Since the booking sites stated a 4-minute walk from the station to the park, we should be able to make it.
“I’ll run over first. You just quickly walk over with the pram,” my husband ordered and zoomed off.
I picked up my speed to chase after him, but after a while, I slowed down to walking in quick steps. While running with the pram and bags, the 4-minute walk didn’t seem so 4 minutes. It felt like a lengthy 1.2km instead. As I walked past the rail park entrance, I saw my hubby signalling me to slow down. I was panting furiously.
…to the Rail Park.
“See that long queue?” My husband said, pointing into the distance, and continued, “They’re all waiting to get on the rail bikes. The line is only starting to move. When I was asking the counter staff for directions, someone was still getting the rail bike tickets for the 3:30 PM session.” And that someone turned out to be on the bike just behind us. Phew!
Even though we joined the queue at about 3:40 PM, we still had time to take turns to go to the toilet. The queue was moving very slowly as people were getting on the bikes in an orderly fashion. I didn’t expect one session to have so many people – you can get an idea of the crowd in my photos at the end of this post.
All’s good in the end. Morale of the story, to have a relaxing trip, remember to account for enough buffer and travelling time!
The Journey of Gangchon Rail Bike
Setting Off: Slow
“Hello!” Baby E waved. She waved before she fell into a short but deep slumber thereafter.
We squeezed our things — foldable pockit stroller, three bags, sweaters, camera, phones, etc — around and under our seats and buckled up. The staff helped me adjust the seat forward so that my short legs could reach the pedals. :P Then, our wait continued. This time, it was to wait for the four-seater bikes to move off first.
After an approximately 10-minute wait, I was glad we were finally moving, but only for about 100m when we stopped again. Understandably, it was a long line of bikes, and the bikes were setting off slowly because of the need for safety distance. In any case, it was a good pit stop to ask the staff to take a photo of us in the 2-seater bike.
Moreover, all my worries about riding with a baby were gone at this moment. Baby E was so tired, she KO-ed when our bike moved that short distance forward. She even slept through super loud noises for one of the tunnels we went through.
How about pedalling while carrying a baby?
The Ride: Slow & Relaxing
If you are not sporty and are worried about how taxing the cycling will be, I can safely tell you that it’s quite easy peasy! Or perhaps I had a good bike partner. Both of us felt that it was a slow and relaxing cycle, and before we knew it, we had reached the point to disembark. By the way, I was baby-wearing my baby for the whole journey.
The cycling was not taxing nor intensive as we could even rest our feet and not pedal at times. This is so the bike can slow down to maintain a safe distance and not bump into the bike in front of us. Moreover, sometimes we had to hand-brake, like when we hit downward slopes that accelerated the bike.
We could also take our own sweet time to enjoy the scenery and take photos because sometimes the bike behind us lagged quite a bit. In any case, you should enjoy the journey and not be stressed by, if any, a tailgating bike. It wouldn’t matter if a bike is slightly slower because even in a bottleneck situation, most people wouldn’t know where the “weakest link” is anyway. Btw, the bike behind us was cycled by a ~60-year-old grandma and her ~9-year-old granddaughter. If they can do it, so can you! :)
Scenery: Remarkable
In the cool air, the lalang grass waved at us, so near we could touch it from our bike. Casting my view further, sparsely scattered houses made me envious of the quiet and contemplative countryside life. I took in breaths of fresh air as we rode past mountains glimmering in an orange glow, and a quiet river rippling in between towering mountains.
It was a good choice to come during autumn, heard it’s beautiful in winter too. The other two seasons should be nice as well, but nothing to shout about. This scenery is supposedly nicer than the one at Gapyeong Rail Park.
Four Mountain Tunnels: Interesting
The tunnels we go through here were supposedly more numerous than at Gapyeong Rail Park, and hence more worthwhile! Cycling through mountain tunnels is quite intriguing, but four times would have been boring. Hence, Gangchon Rail Park added a little spice for three of its four tunnels. I must applaud them for their thoughts and efforts in curating the tunnel experience.
This video gives you a glimpse of what you might experience in these three tunnels:
We enjoyed the first tunnel in its barest form, while having bubbles flying all around in the second tunnel. In the tunnel, lighted up in blue and purple, the bubbles danced around us to a bubbling sound effect and an upbeat song. Then, in the third tunnel, flashing white lights in the dark created a starry night atmosphere, coupled with a slow romantic song for the mood.
For the last tunnel, throbbing strobe lights with ear-shattering thumping disco music thundered through. Good thing Baby E was so tired that she slept through this. This is supposedly the tunnel for the VR experience, but we weren’t asked to opt in for it, so I’m not sure if it’s still available.
Transfer Stop: Bike to Train
Our rail bike kissed the butt of the bike in front and came to a stop, concluding our time on the rail bike. We wished the ride had been longer as we basked in the magnificent view of the golden mountains. Being the last few bikes to reach, we didn’t have much time to admire the spectacular landscape, except to snap a few photos. A few others went for a quick toilet break at this stop.
Second Part of the Journey: The Train
Boarding the Train
We walked from the rail bike to the train, which would bring us through the second part of the journey and to the end point, the old Gangchon Station. From there, we would take a free shuttle bus back to the starting point, which is near Gimyujeong Station. More information in my post, “About Gangchon Rail Park“.
No one’s rushing us to get on the train, but I felt rushed by the people heading so quickly towards it. Moreover, most people were already on board the train, while empty bikes abounded. This reminded me of what hubby overheard a tour guide telling the first few bikes in the beginning, “There’s no point riding fast and rushing. Because you’ll still have to wait for everyone to arrive and board the train.”
As we were about to head up the first carriage we came to, someone told us it was full. So we went to the next one, and the next one, and next, and finally we went up to the last carriage, which technically was the first from the train head. It looked full, too. However, we had no choice but to head up and find pockets of seats.
Thank God for hubby’s sharp eyes, he spotted an empty row hidden among the crowd, and we squeezed in. I think this is the only carriage that is open-air, and perhaps why it still had seats. The rows are uncomfortably close to one another that you are just a whisper away from the person in front of and behind you.
The Journey
Facing the front, we were on the left side of the train, which, as you can see in the photo above, doesn’t have much of a view. So if you have the choice, pick the right side (pun intended). The train journey was effortless for us as we sat there while the train chugged past scenic views at a leisurely pace.
The Fellow Riders and The Ride
Like I’ve said, there were lots of riders. The photo above only captured the front part of the crowd while the rest stretched all the way till the end, and couldn’t fit into the frame. Regardless, enjoy the ride! Hubby and I were glad that we didn’t skip this because we would have missed out on this lovely experience. In hindsight, my initial worries seemed so exaggerated.
So if you have time and are nearby, like in Nami Island, slot in this activity and get your tickets through Klook and Trazy today. Book early for your desired timing, yes, the sessions have specific timings.
Have fun!
Be sure to bookmark my South Korea (Seoul and Jeju) Itinerary.
You might also want to check out my other posts on Korea. Leave your comments or questions below. Love to hear from you. :)
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