Gangchon Rail Park

When the Gyeongchun line to Chuncheon was rerouted and electrified in 2010, a stretch of the old single track was left in place, and rail bikes were put on it. You pedal a four-wheeled cart - two or four seats, with an electric assist on the climbs - about eight kilometres from Gimyujeong station along the Bukhangang, over an iron bridge, through several tunnels lit with coloured installations and music, to Gangchon, where a converted train carries you and the bikes back. The riding is easy and mostly flat; the tunnels are the part people remember, and the river scenery is genuinely good in autumn. The starting station is named after the writer Kim Yu-jeong, who was born in the village, and there is a small literary village nearby. Slots sell out at weekends and in peak autumn, so booking matters.

What you actually see

• The old single track - eight kilometres of the disused line.
• The lit tunnels - coloured installations and music inside.
• The Bukhangang - the river and the iron bridge crossing.
• The return train - the converted service back from Gangchon.

When to go

April to June and September to November; autumn colour along the river is the peak and books out. Weekdays are easier. It runs in light rain but not in storms.

Honest expectations

Ticketed and time-slotted - turning up without a booking at a weekend usually fails. It is a leisure ride, not transport, and the pedalling is easy to the point of being undemanding. Riders sit exposed to the weather.

Nearby

Nami island, Chuncheon and the Soyanggang skywalk are close.