David on Formosa

A while back I wrote about cycling to Wulai and noted that the road continued on past the police checkpoint and up into the mountains. I took advantage of the perfect weather today to ride further up the road along the Tonghou River (桶后溪). 

This area is popular with cyclists, hikers and people that just like to camp out or swim in the river. Being a weekend there were a few people around, but there was never a feeling that it was crowded. People must like coming up here because it provides a great experience of nature and quietness only a short distance from Taipei. The scenery really is superb, the river is crystal clear and there is no karaoke!

There are a number of great swimming holes along the way. 

The river provides a chance for keen mountain bikers to test out their technical skills.

I was surprised this guy crossed the river and kept going on a road bike. The road is actually sealed and passable by car up to about a kilometre before this point though. Beyond here though I am not so sure… Victor at Cycle Taiwan has written an account of the trail beyond this point all the way to Yilan. It involves some difficult riding and it is necessary to carry your bike some of the way. 

I posed for a group photo with this friendly family. They were busy catching and photographing butterflies and other insects. I headed back down to Wulai from here. Maybe next time I'll head all the way to Yilan.