Sangnim Forest

Choi Chi-won, the Silla scholar and official, was governor at Hamyang in the late ninth century, and the account is that he had a levee built along the Wicheon to stop the flooding that repeatedly wrecked the town, then planted trees on it to hold the bank. The result is Sangnim, generally recognised as the oldest artificial forest in Korea still standing - about twenty hectares of deciduous woodland, some twenty thousand trees of a hundred-odd species, mostly oak, zelkova, hackberry and maple, several of them centuries old, with paths through them, a stream, pavilions and stone bridges. It is designated a natural monument. What it feels like is an old town park that happens to be a millennium old: benches, people walking dogs, children on the paths, and enormous trees. Autumn colour is the season. Hamyang is a small inland county town and the forest is its centre; Jirisan is south and the Hamyang lotus park is next door.

What you actually see

• The old trees - centuries-old oak, zelkova and hackberry.
• The stream and bridges - water running through the wood.
• The levee line - the bank the forest was planted to hold.
• The autumn colour - the reason most people come.

When to go

May to June for green, late October and November for colour, which is when the forest is at its best and busiest. It is open at all hours and free.

Honest expectations

It is a town park rather than a wilderness - expect benches, paths and local life. Hamyang is a small county town some way from major routes. Two hours covers it.

Nearby

The Hamyang lotus park adjoins it; Jirisan national park is south.