Seoraksan

A few weeks ago, we spent the weekend in the heights of Seorak Mountain. We'd been told by countless people that this is a Korean must see, especially in Autumn, and so we took the speedy 3.5 hour bus trip from Seoul to Korea's north east coast.

Blessed with some beautiful clear skies and only slightly crisp weather, we had a wonderful weekend in the great outdoors, taking some pleasant strolls amongst the colourful foliage and some more strenuous hikes up hundreds of stairs.

Silhouettes of Seoraksan

Some more of Korea's beautiful autumn colours

A devotee prays at the giant Unification Buddha

The beginning of the hike was flat and relaxing...

...three quarters of the way up, and 800 stairs later, it was getting tough...

...but the views from the top were exhilerating

This tree was absolutely glowing

Trent about to lift-off as the wind picked up at the top of one of Seoraksan's peaks

One of the things that make Seoraksan so special is its position- only 20 minutes drive from the east coast. With the dramatic backdrop of Seoraksan's peaks, the seaside town of Sokcho is also spectacular and, we are told, it actually gets snow on its beaches in winter!

The east sea from Sokcho's rocky coastline

The area's mascot symbolises the mountains and the sea, and the Russian script is a reminder of the city's proximity to Russia's east coast