Dumulmeori

Dumulmeori means the head of two waters: the Namhangang coming down from the south-east and the Bukhangang from the north-east join here and run on into Seoul as the Han. Before the roads it was a ferry crossing and a stop for the boats carrying goods to the capital, and a replica wooden barge is moored at the bank as a reminder. The spot itself is small - a grassy point with a four-hundred-year-old zelkova, a few pavilions, lotus beds and a walkway - and what draws people is the light: on cold still mornings, mist sits on the water and the far bank disappears, which has made this one of the most photographed and filmed locations in the country, used constantly in dramas and for wedding shoots. It is fifteen minutes on foot from the station and free, and by mid-morning at weekends it is busy. Semiwon's lotus gardens are across the road.

Highlights

• The confluence - the two rivers meeting at the point.
• The old zelkova - the four-century tree on the bank.
• The wooden barge - the replica trading boat moored there.
• The morning mist - the reason for the photographs.

When to go

Cold clear mornings from late autumn through winter give the best mist; sunrise is the classic. Lotus flower in July and August. Weekends are crowded from mid-morning.

Good to know

It is a small viewpoint, walked in half an hour - the mist is the whole event and it does not appear on demand. Wedding and drama shoots can occupy the best spots. Cafés nearby are priced for the traffic.

Nearby

Semiwon garden is across the road; Yongmunsa and its ginkgo are up the valley.