Seokmodo Island

Seokmodo lies just west of Ganghwa and was reached by ferry until a bridge opened in 2017, which made it an easy extension of a Ganghwa day and left it, so far, still rural: rice paddies, tidal salt farms where sea water is evaporated in shallow pans through the summer, orchards, and a low ridge down the middle. On the western slope of Nakgasan, reached by a steep road and then steps, is Bomunsa - a temple founded in the Silla period whose best-known feature is a Buddha relief carved into the rock face high above the halls, reached by a long stair, with the West Sea spread out below and, on a clear evening, one of the better sunsets on this coast. Below on the shore are seawater hot springs piped from deep underground and run as public baths. The island is small enough to circle by car in an hour.

What you actually see

• The rock-carved Buddha - the relief above Bomunsa, up the stairs.
• The salt farms - evaporation pans worked in summer.
• The sunset - the West Sea from the temple terrace.
• The seawater spa - the hot springs on the shore.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Late afternoon at Bomunsa for the sunset; salt farms are working from roughly May to September.

Honest expectations

The stair up to the carved Buddha is long and steep. Facilities on the island are limited - a few restaurants and the spa. Public transport means two buses from Seoul via Ganghwa.

Nearby

Ganghwa's dolmens, Manisan and Jeondeungsa are over the bridge.