Seoul is quite a unique city. On the one hand, it’s a vast modern-day metropolis with skyscrapers, high-tech subways, and K-pop music culture. But, on the other hand, it’s a city of Buddhist temples, palaces and rich history of having been the imperial capital of the Chosun Dynasty. Back then, it was guarded on all sides by walls and gates with its boundaries extending to Namsan mountain in the south and Bukaksan mountain in the north, which acted as fortresses to guard the city against foreign invaders. Located along the Han River, and in more recent times, Seoul has been recognised as one of Asia’s most liveable cities with the second-highest quality of life globally.

As is often the case, we meet at the Bango Bridge, one of the most famous meeting points for Seoul’s cyclists looking to ride the “Nambuk” route, which takes in the Namsan and Bukaksan mountains. Korea is a country of mountains. While these mountains aren’t the most challenging or scenic in Korea, they’re certainly the most popular Strava segments, given their convenience for Seoul’s urban cyclists. It’s a great way to get in some decent climbing without travelling outside the city. Although the Namsan and Bukaksan mountains only stand at a mere 300 metres in elevation, by connecting the two, you get a decent 1000+ metres of elevation on your Strava for this ride.

With fresh legs and high spirits, we set off back to Gyeongbok Palace, where Bukuksan mountain acts as a majestic backdrop and a reminder of the second climb of the day that we are about to attack. There are more than ten different routes up the Bukaksan to Bukak Pagoda at the summit, but we take the Bugak Skyway, the most beautiful driving route in Korea as the road twists and turns up and around the mountainside.