China by boat and train
Hitting the road: Beijing A few facts about the Great Wall of China. It can not be seen from space and it is not 20,000km long. It is, however, big and running along the ridge of a range of mountains, it is very steep. It is in China and therefore the steps are not designed to accommodate size 11 UK feet. Having perfected a sort of sideways traverse, it is everything else it is cracked up to be. Mutianyu is one of the longer restored sections, about 90 minutes’ drive from Central Beijing. Although only relatively short, this section can be seen rising and falling between its watchtowers, marching over the hills and mountains as far as the eye can see. It's still fairly early in the morning but is already humid and hot in the direct sunlight – there is no shade – so an hour spent climbing and descending between five or six towers is enough. The drive out from central Beijing reveals something of the vast scale of this city, and no doubt others. Just as it seems the buildings are sta...