Buseoksa Temple

Buseoksa was founded in 676 by the monk Uisang, and its Muryangsujeon hall, rebuilt in the late fourteenth century, is one of the oldest wooden buildings in Korea. The temple climbs the hillside in stages, so you come up through gates and flights of stone steps and pass under the Anyangnu pavilion, and the last rise puts you on a terrace with the hall behind you and range after range of hills in front. Inside sits a clay Buddha, placed sideways rather than facing the door, which is unusual. The columns of the hall swell slightly at their middle, a refinement you cannot unsee once it is pointed out.

What you actually see

• Muryangsujeon - the late-fourteenth-century hall with its subtly swelling columns.
• The terrace view - layered ridges to the south, best in the last hour of light.
• The clay Buddha - the seated figure inside, set facing sideways.
• Anyangnu - the pavilion you pass under on the final climb.

When to go

Late afternoon is the whole point here, when the hills to the south stack up in haze and the terrace faces the light. Autumn is the peak season and October weekends bring coach parties. Spring is quieter and greener. Buses from Yeongju are hourly and slow, so allow a full half day including the travel each way.

Honest expectations

The approach is a steady climb of several hundred stone steps, hard work in summer heat and slippery after rain. The famous hall is small and dark inside and is viewed from the doorway rather than entered. Autumn weekends produce a queue on the stairs. Yeongju itself is a long way from anywhere else you are likely to be going.

Nearby

Sosu Seowon and the Sobaeksan ridges are close by; Andong lies to the south.