On Korea's west coast the sea goes out a very long way. The Yellow Sea has big tides, and when they drop they expose huge plains of mud, the getbol, glistening and grey and full of life. The Korean tidal flats were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2021, covering stretches from Seocheon in the north to Gochang, Shinan and Boseong-Suncheon in the south, and they are among the most important feeding grounds on Earth for migratory shorebirds travelling between Siberia and Australia. Crabs, mudskippers, worms and shellfish swarm in the mud, and people have harvested them for centuries.
Buan, the nearest town, sits at the base of the Byeonsan peninsula, which juts into the sea with a rugged coastline of cliffs and coves. At Chaeseokgang the rock has been weathered into layers that look like stacks of books, a favourite spot at low tide and sunset. To the north stretches the Saemangeum seawall, one of the longest in the world, which closed off a vast estuary for reclamation and became a symbol of the debate between development and conservation. Gochang, a little to the south, has some of the protected mudflats along with one of the densest concentrations of prehistoric dolmens anywhere.
The riding here is easy and scenic, along coastal roads that follow the shore around the peninsula, with views over the sea and the mudflats and the islands offshore. The roads are generally well surfaced, traffic is moderate except at weekends and holidays, and the wind can be strong off the sea. Motorcycles cannot use the expressways, but the national roads are a pleasure. Come in April or September, ideally when the migratory birds are passing through, and sunsets over the Yellow Sea are famous.
Buan, nine kilometres inland, covers petrol, motels and a market. The seafood is the real reason to linger: try the grilled clams, the raw fish, and the jukkumi, small octopus, in spring. If you walk out onto the mudflats, check the tide times carefully, since the sea comes back quickly, and never go out alone. Wear old shoes or boots you do not mind getting muddy, because you will get muddy.