The tide here goes out so far that the sea simply disappears. The Seocheon getbol, a vast sweep of tidal flats on the west coast of Korea where the Geum river meets the Yellow Sea, is one of four areas listed by UNESCO in 2021 as the Korean Tidal Flats. Twice a day the water withdraws over kilometres of glistening mud and sand, leaving channels, pools and a hum of life: crabs, worms, shellfish and mudskippers, and above all birds.
This coast is a critical stopover on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, the migration route that carries shorebirds between Siberia and Alaska in the north and Southeast Asia and Australia in the south. In spring and autumn the flats fill with flocks of waders feeding to rebuild their strength, and some of the world's rarest species pass through, including the spoon-billed sandpiper and the black-faced spoonbill. Bring binoculars and time the visit for a rising tide, when the birds are pushed closer to the shore. The National Institute of Ecology, a large research centre with excellent exhibitions and glass domes recreating climates of the world, is in Seocheon and makes an informative stop.
The area has its own traditions. Hansan, in the north of the county, is famous for mosi, a fine ramie fabric woven by hand from plant fibre that was once worn by the court in summer, and for sogokju, a strong rice wine. In spring the fishing harbours celebrate jjukkumi, small webfoot octopus, and the camellia forest at Maryang-ri blooms red above the sea.
The riding is coastal and gentle, along small roads that follow the dykes and bays, through fish farms, reed beds and salt fields, with the light changing all the time over the mud. Wind is a constant companion on this exposed shore, and in winter it comes straight off the sea with a bite. Across the estuary, the city of Gunsan is linked by a road along the river barrage and has a lovely old quarter of colonial-era buildings from the early twentieth century, when the port shipped rice out to Japan.
Motorcycles are not allowed on Korean expressways, but the national roads along this coast are perfectly adequate. Fuel and food are easy in Seocheon town and in Gunsan. Try a bowl of seafood kalguksu or grilled shellfish at one of the harbours, and watch the tide come back as you eat.