Hiking through Antelope Canyon, exploring Wenshu Village
I flipped through my circle of friends, and the last time I went out to play was back in May. It's rare to have a holiday, so I must throw away all things and go out to have fun, releasing the long-suppressed feelings in my heart.
The morning sun was shining brightly when I left the house, and it rained a bit on the road, but then it stopped.
Yesterday I asked my friends if they wanted to go out together, but they said they didn't want to go out because of the rain. Fortunately, I stuck to my own wishes and didn't let others influence my thoughts, haha.
We set off at 8 o'clock in the morning, and after more than 2 hours of journey, we arrived at Houli Wharf.
We took a boat after getting off the car, which took about 15 minutes. The place we arrived at is called Wenshu Village. The village is named after a Wenshu Temple on the mountain that worships Manjusri. Wenshu Village is not accessible by land, and you must rely on a boat to enter and exit the village.
After arriving at Wenshu Village, we first went to the restaurant to put down our bags, and then took water and umbrellas to go hiking lightly. This village is not big, but it has two waterfalls, and the destination of our hike is the location of the waterfall. It is said that the distance is not far, about 1.5km one way.
The small paths in the village are very comfortable to walk on. The vegetation on both sides is lush and the air is fresh. As we were walking, a fork in the road appeared. We chose the uphill route, but after a while, another team leader stopped us and asked us to go back. He said that at the fork in the road just now, we should go downhill, which is closer to the waterfall. So we went back to the fork in the road and walked downhill. As the team leader said, we arrived after a while.
There are a few tourists playing in the small pool under the waterfall. The waterfall is not high or spectacular, but it is quite amazing to have such a place in this small mountain village.
After admiring the waterfall, it was time for lunch. We went back to the restaurant for lunch. How can we not eat river fresh when we come to Xijiang? It must be arranged properly. But today's dishes, although fresh, feel a bit too salty. It would be better if it was lighter.
After lunch, we took a break and started hiking in the afternoon.
We took a boat back to Houli Wharf, and then walked to the starting point of Antelope Canyon, which is where we are going to hike today.
Antelope Canyon, located in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, downstream of the Xijiang River, is formed by Lingyang Mountain and Lanke Mountain on the Xijiang River. The two mountains stand opposite each other from north to south, reaching into the sky. It is one of the five major canyons in China.
The ancient path of Antelope Canyon was originally formed by trackers. In 1448, Lu Ju, the county magistrate of Gao Yao in the Ming Dynasty, began to build bridges and roads in the pit, and was rebuilt eleven times during the Ming, Qing and early Republic of China. It was the main land route into and out of Duanzhou in ancient times, and was completely abandoned after the 1950s. The ancient road has a deep historical and cultural accumulation, and along the line there are preserved cultural relics and historical sites such as Qingfeng Pavilion cliff carvings, Xixia stone pillars, tow marks, fence holes, cable stones, Ling Mountain forts, trenches, and the remains of Pei Gong Nineteen Bridges, Xiasan Pavilion, Xiasan Temple, Linghua Temple, and Tianhou Palace. The ecological environment of the ancient road is beautiful, the natural landscape is unique, and it combines canyons, rivers, mountains, forests, streams, and waterfalls.
The section we are going to hike through is located near the Dinghu Scenic Area in Zhaoqing, and is the most beautiful section of the entire Xijiang River Basin.
It is said that the five goats in Guangzhou were originally six goats, and the mountain in Antelope Canyon is a fairy goat fossil. Because when the fairy whipped the goat down to Guangzhou through this canyon, he saw the beautiful mountains and rivers here, and left a fairy goat, hence the name "Antelope Canyon".
Whether the legend is true or false, it is enough to show that the scenery here is very good.
This ancient plank road is nearly 10 kilometers long, with a few steps, most of them are flat roads, and there are many small pavilions and benches in the middle, where you can rest and relax.
The vegetation here is very rich and diverse. Each section has different scenery. This section is a dense forest, and the next section may be a river view. Looking at the Xijiang River, there are many sand ships working, forming a different landscape.
The hike is over and we are ready to go back. Not long after the car started, it started to rain heavily. We are really lucky, we were not caught in the heavy rain. After sweating, I went home satisfied.
Autumn is high and refreshing, and it is very good to meet your girlfriends. On one side is the Xijiang River, on the other is the Antelope Mountain, along the ancient road by the river, feeling the beauty of autumn.
Free walking plank road, test your strength, everyone can do their best. We two middle-aged and elderly people, self-driving, read a lot of reviews in advance to determine the route. The plank road is around the foot of the mountain, most of which are cement laid, and there are also several ancient plank road mud and stone original appearance. We chose the entrance of Huangcun to enter, there is a formal entrance to the park, there is free parking. Note that don't park at Ziyungu Ferry before arriving at the entrance of Huangcun. In addition to the charge, there is a distance of 2km from the entrance of the park. We climbed a step first, walked through the bamboo forest, walked slowly, about ten minutes turned a bend and looked at the Xijiang River. From the 44th lighthouse, the crater began to walk around the river, looked at the canyon, and walked back to the Longmen station. Looking across the river from Wenshu Ancient Village, I learned the sad legend of the husband's return, especially the sentence that the wife asked every time she saw the boat passing by the upper reaches of the river, "My husband returned?", sobbing blood, couldn't help but reply "Your husband has returned." There are 2 hydrophilic piers in this section, you can walk to the riverside to see the vast river, the green mountains are long, lamenting the changes of the world, the green mountains do not change the long flow of green waters. After returning, the lighthouse No. 44 turned down the mountainside, explored the ancient fort, and looked at the anti-Japanese monument on the mountainside of the river mouth. The whole journey is about 10 kilometers back and forth, and it takes more than an hour to walk slowly. The sun was high and the heat was hot. We started to walk around 3 pm. There were occasional small sections that were not shaded by trees. Most of them were mountains and trees to shade the sun, but they were still sweating all over the whole process, so it was correct to hike in the afternoon. There is also a need to bring enough water, we are too contemptuous, only brought 2 bottles of 550mL, plan 2 people to supplement. The summary of experience is not enough, although it has been deliberately small mouth, but the second half of the return trip is already dry mouth, body and mind are tired.
On May 1st Labor Day in 2023, I revisited the ancient road again. This time the weather was very sunny, and the Xijiang water appeared more green, and the green mountains on both sides of the Straits were connected, like a landscape painting. The whole ancient road has made 3 hydrophilic piers. You can see the river from different angles. Today, there are many ships on the river, and it is a dynamic scenery. We didn't go to the end this time, but went back to the Kuoshui Pavilion in Dinghu District. It took 5 hours to walk around. There are parking lots at both exits of the ancient road. It is very convenient to travel by car, but it is to go back and forth.
The canyon scenery is beautiful! Parking is convenient, the mountain road is gentle (there are also steps), there are many streams on the way to play, push the stroller from the east entrance to the cat head pit, about a quarter of the way, the air is fresh and natural, the scenery is very beautiful, and Zhaoqing will definitely come back to this green road in the future. Much better than Dinghu Mountain, I really don't recommend going to Dinghu Mountain. On the way, I met many middle-aged and elderly people pulling a small cart and a small bucket to pick up the mountain spring water, saying that the water was very sweet.
The fifth time I came to Zhaoqing, I was surprised to find that the rating of Antelope Gorge was actually ranked first among the attractions in Zhaoqing! Yesterday, I accompanied an 8-year-old boy to brush the whole process, with full marks, highly recommended: 1. Greenway rating: design thoughtful, interesting although free, but the greenway design is very good. First of all, the whole route along the ancient plank road of Xijiang Ancient Waterway is a narrower river, steep mountains on both sides of the Straits, and the scenery is particularly beautiful; secondly, the original vegetation, mixed trees on both sides of the Straits, is more colorful than the plantation. The greenway construction also pays attention to the natural posture of the plants on both sides; third, there are several small sections in the middle that deliberately retain the "primitive ramp", which can feel the road when the ramp did not have cement asphalt hundreds of years ago; Fourth, there are several hydrophilic platforms in the middle, and children can play with sand and stone by the Xijiang River. 2. Raiders and tourist suggestions 1. The route suggested route can be taken from the "Huangcun Cultural Square" in the east to the "Antelope Gorge Ancient Plank Road Forest Park Visitor Center" in the Jiangbin Ti Road in the west, or the opposite. It is recommended to go from east to west, because there are many large restaurants near the west visitor center, it is convenient to eat after the first end, and secondly, there are many restaurants at the west entrance, so it is relatively easy to drip. 2. Time to choose to recommend starting in the afternoon, because the mountain is in the northwest of the plank road, so the morning burst, will not be sun in the afternoon. And when the westbound approached the visitor center in the evening, the water surface gradually expanded and became spectacular, and the sunset reflected the red river water. The whole journey is in the early ten kilometers, which takes2-3 hours. In addition to the knee injury, other children and adults can easily complete it. If the child wants to play halfway, an extra time is required. The scenic spot closes at 18:00 and it is recommended to reach the end before 17:30. It is easy to play timeout with children in the middle of the way. Generally, set off before 13:00-14:30 and avoid taking the night road as much as possible. 3. There is a long step at the entrance of Huangcun, and there are also up and down the middle. It is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people bring trekking poles. You need to bring water, and you have not encountered any small shop stalls along the way. There are several toilets along the way. Third, the first suggestion to the scenic spot is thanks. The scenic spot is great, and more and more people will go to Zhaoqing because of the Antelope Gorge. Thank you for your design, thank you for free, and thank the cleaners along the way. Secondly, I read the Ctrip Raiders before I went, checked Baidu map, and found that the expression of the east and west entrances was unclear, especially for foreigners, it was difficult to understand the relationship between Huangcun Cultural Square and the East Entrance. Personally suggest that you modify the entry names in Baidu and Gaode, for example, define the entrance of Huangcun as "East Entrance of Antelope Gorge Ancient Plank Road", and the visitor center as "West Entrance of Antelope Gorge Ancient Plank Road", which is convenient for authors to write and readers to understand the entrance and route. In addition, it is recommended that Guangdong Greenway hold the "ten most beautiful green roads" evaluation in Guangdong to stimulate tourists' interest. I estimate that Antelope Gorge has great hopes for its beautiful environment, high-quality management and long history.