Uirimji Reservoir

Uirimji is an earth-banked irrigation reservoir traditionally dated to the Three Kingdoms period and repaired repeatedly since - the records of its maintenance run through Goryeo and Joseon - and it is still in use, which makes it one of the oldest functioning waterworks in the country. The interest is not the water itself but the embankment: a long bank planted with pines two and three hundred years old, leaning over the shore, with pavilions set among them and a walking path round the whole perimeter, a bit under two kilometres. Yeongho-jeong and Gyeongho-ru are the two main pavilions. Jecheon has developed the surroundings with a sculpture park, cafes, a small folk village and evening lighting, and the reservoir is the city's principal outdoor place. Local seasoning: this is a hard-frost region, and the reservoir has a long tradition as a winter ice-fishing and skating spot.

What you actually see

• The old pine embankment - centuries-old trees leaning over the water.
• The pavilions - Yeongho-jeong and Gyeongho-ru on the bank.
• The perimeter path - a flat circuit of under two kilometres.
• The working reservoir - still irrigating, not a monument.

When to go

April to June and October, with autumn colour under the pines the best of it. Evenings are lit. Winters are cold and the ice is used.

Honest expectations

It is a lake walk - there is no site to tour and the historical claim is not visible on the ground. The cafes and installations around it are recent and commercial.

Nearby

Cheongpung cultural complex and Chungju lake are south; Guinsa and Danyang are east.