Namyangju lies east of Seoul, where two rivers, the Bukhan and the South Han, join to form the Han, and the meeting place is one of the most pleasant landscapes in the capital region. A quiet bend of water, reeds, boats and low hills with Mount Cheonma standing behind, it has been a place for poets and philosophers for centuries. The town, with ninety thousand people, is a base for riders heading up the Bukhan valley, and its lanes are lined with cafes with river views that are popular on weekends.
The town is the birthplace of Jeong Yak-yong, known as Dasan, a scholar of the late Joseon dynasty who wrote hundreds of books on administration, science and ethics, much of it while in exile for eighteen years. His house and memorial hall, on the riverbank, are a pleasant place to walk, and the paths follow the river among willow trees and lotus ponds. Dasan wrote that a government should serve the people, a radical idea in his time, and Koreans still hold him in high esteem.
The riding here is the reason people come. The river road, along the Bukhan, is a pleasant, winding route with gentle curves and wide views, and the road from here toward Gapyeong rises into forested hills with a few more serious bends. At weekends, the roads are crowded with riders, cyclists and cars, and the cafes along the river fill up. A weekday or an early start is the answer. In autumn, the maples colour the hillsides, and in winter, the river sometimes steams in the cold, with snow on the hills.
Namyangju has stations on every main road, and plenty of places to eat, from noodle shops to grilled duck, a regional favourite. The surface is generally excellent, and the signage is clear, though speed cameras are frequent and enforced. Watch the lights where the roads cross the railway, and take care at the dusk when cyclists share the river path. A cup of coffee at a riverside cafe is the right way to begin or end a ride.