The Wall. The Great Wall.

No trip to Beijing is complete without a visit to the Wall and with the Spring temperatures hovering in the high twenties and the sun shining we thought it best to go and spend a few days investigating it ourselves. We went to Mutianyu and stayed in a lovely hotel called the Brickyard - a conversion from its namesake. They put a stress on locally produced goods where they couldn't grow it themselves. To help guests feel more in touch with nature each room had huge windows with only the bottom section covered by curtains. Next to the bed were two sets of eye masks but these were basically redundant with a small baby ready to leap up at the first sign of dawn at 4.30am! On the upside we could see on top of the ridge the great wall from our beds.

For our first trip up we took a ride round to the cable car to pull us up to the 14th tower of this section. Once at the top the wall stretches either way into the distance tracking along the top of the ridge all the way. Needless to say that contemplating how far it stretches in either direction, 5,500 miles in total, is impressive. The weather was clear blue skies and sunshine without a hint of pollution and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the wall to tower 18. After this it ramped up a steep section I scrambled up while Eleanor took some time in the shade with Alex. Half way up this section a group of Chinese tourists seemed to take pity that I was by myself and insisted they all had a photo with me, arms held in the air, before moving on! From the very top we could see down into the valley and the village we were staying in, but curiously no sign of the path that we were assured would take us down to the road and home. Of course we found it eventually and with Alex dozing on Eleanor's back we picked our way down the dusty, rocky path.  Our pace was enough to overtake one family who seemed surprised to find a baby hiding in the bundle Eleanor was carrying.

Back at base early we had lunch and took turns with the masseur whose fingers had the knack of prodding the most painful parts of the muscles but I'm sure (hope) was good for us. In the evening we went to the other side of the village to eat in the sister hotel to the Brickyard - the school house. The dinning area was very much a school room and you are encouraged to draw on the place mats, the best of which get displayed on the wall, all very old skool.

For our final day Eleanor tried the jacuzzi in the morning but found the water temperature way too hot to get in, even when they had removed the cover which was a bit of a failed treat. I spent a couple of hours hiking up the trail we had come down the day before and trekking along the wall a bit further before returning the same way. With the warm weather and steep climb it felt like a good work out which might have off set all of the nice food we'd had! After that chance to stretch my legs we had a bit of lunch and headed home.