Wuzhen, Yuyao｜The most beautiful winding mountain road in Zhejiang worth keeping to yourself

" Starting from Liangnong in the south to Siming in the north, there are mountains inside and outside the mountains, and the edge of the cliff. Siming Mountain, which is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, has continuous hairpin bends. It is a bit thrilling to drive by yourself, especially on cloudy and rainy days. It feels like flying through the clouds, come and experience the most beautiful winding mountain road in Ningbo "

Pre-trip guide

 

• Trip overview

Departure time: weekends in late April

Travel days: 3 days and 2 nights from Shanghai

Transportation and accommodation: self-driving tour, Siming Lake Kaiyuan, Wuzhen Mingli

Per capita cost: 1,000 yuan (including food, accommodation, attraction tickets and gas expenses)

Main attractions: Siming Lake, Panshan Road, source of Yaojiang River, Geopark, Wuzhen Xizha Scenic Area

• Tour order

Day1 Departs from Shanghai at 9:00, arrives at Siming Lake for dinner at 11:30, and visits Siming Lake and the source of Yaojiang River in Siming Mountain in the afternoon

Day 2 Check out after breakfast, visit the Winding Mountain Highway and Geopark during the day, and depart for Wuzhen at 4pm

Day3: After breakfast, shoot at the Internet celebrity swimming pool, go to the scenic spot for dining and sightseeing at noon, and return to Shanghai after dinner

*Note: There are too many scenic spots in Siming Mountain. The selection of scenic spots takes into account the scenery characteristics of different seasons of the year. Please refer to the next trip plan at the end of the article.

 

Day 1 Siming Lake and the source of Yaojiang River

We arrived at the hotel at noon. We originally planned to eat at Qingshuiwan in front of the hotel, but found that there was no suitable view, so we decided to eat at the farmhouse Haozao Tou that we had in Liangnong Town last time (opposite there is a popular specialty "Liangnong Big Cake") , a must-buy every time I pass by).

 

Siming Lake Kaiyuan Villa

I used the half-price coupon given during Double Eleven to book a mountain view room on the official website. I was upgraded to a lake view room with my platinum membership. I still have a good feeling about the hotel. The lobby, restaurant and overall environment are relatively new, except that the room is slightly It seems dated, but the price of more than 300 a night on weekends is definitely a great value. (If you want to know how to book a super cost-effective hotel, you can add a follower and send me a private message)

There was a robot-themed exhibition recently. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime were on the main road, and there was a group of unnamed little robots by the lake.

Near the lake, you can see local people rowing boats and returning loaded with food.

In cloudy to overcast weather, it is difficult to take pictures of the beautiful scenery of Siming Lake, but this kind of light is suitable for portrait shooting. By the way, there is no popular Metasequoia spot in Siming Lake in this itinerary. I just went there last time. For details, please refer to the travel notes: Ningbo Back Garden | A new way to play "Two Lakes" with less people and beautiful scenery

You can set up your own tent on the lawn by the lake, which is open to non-hotel guests for 60 yuan per time. In summer, you can also choose to sleep in a tent for more than 200 yuan; you can fly kites.

Children can't help but fall in love with pets when they see them.

There is a terraced field with tea trees in the hotel. There is a tea garden in our itinerary, so we won’t leave it out.

Yao Jiangyuan: It’s actually a tea house and there is no charge. As for the source of Yaojiang River you are looking for, it is not that important. The focus is on this most beautiful tea garden.

The tea farmers in the tea garden were very polite, and the baskets and tea picking tools placed on the roadside were freely used as props for us to pose for photos.

It’s a bit heavy to choose between two baskets of tea leaves, but the children said they couldn’t pick them.

It is almost rare to see Guyu tea with one bud and one leaf. Mingqian tea here is said to be sold for 1,200 per catty.

Did you find a black tea tree? According to tea farmers, this is a tea tree that froze to death last winter.

My mother-in-law started picking tea in the mountains at the age of 7 and has been farming all her life.

I learned the movements of tea farmers, borrowed props, and picked tea leaves in a decent manner.

After learning how to pick tea, the rest was basically just a matter of posing for photos. We were the only tourists in the whole tea garden, so we could "do whatever we wanted"~

You can take photos with good results by using some basic composition methods, such as the leading line composition method.

Using the rule of thirds, the tea leaves in the distance are blurred to create a layered effect.

One last look at the panoramic and mountain views, and it's almost time to leave.

I have to say that the mist-shrouded mountains are as beautiful as a fairyland.

We were the only car in the parking lot at the entrance of the tea house. As you can see from the picture below, it was obviously foggy when going down the mountain.

Points to note about the first day’s itinerary:

1. It is not easy to drive on a mountain road shrouded in clouds and fog, and the visibility will be very low. It is strongly recommended to use double flash + fog lights.

2. There are many 180° turns on the winding mountain road. Please control your speed and try not to exceed 50 yards.

3. There are many observation decks on the road. It is enough to enjoy the scenery here. Parking at other places is of little value.

4. There are many cherry picking spots throughout Liangnong Town. The price/performance ratio is low and the cherries are not sweet, so they are not recommended.

Day 2 Simingshan Geopark

 

It takes 1.5 hours to drive from Siming Lake to the Geopark. Time spent on traffic jams or stopping to rest and take photos on weekends during peak season is extra.

 

The most beautiful winding mountain road: Since we don’t have a drone, we can only shoot at a wide angle when turning around. Believe me, the effect of aerial shots will be several times more beautiful.

There are too many back turns, and the children said they felt a little motion sick. As long as there is a suitable place in the middle, they can stop and rest.

Geopark: Maybe because it was a working day, there were only about 10 private cars at the entrance of the entire park, and we only saw a bus in the afternoon.

The popular science introduction about geology is more popular with children, but adults can regard it as a review of the geography class of the year.

A rough look at the route map shows that the entire park is not big and can be visited in about 3 hours.

It’s a pity that I forgot to bring my kite on the empty lawn!

The 180-degree viewing platform is empty, and it feels like a private garden? ha!

After it rains, you won’t be able to enjoy the hammock, otherwise it feels quite good to lie down in nature.

Biyu Lake and Liuyunxuan: The names are very artistic, and the beautiful reflection makes you feel happy.

Stone Great Wall: It is actually a steep cliff, shaped like the Great Wall. Because basalt magma erupted into the ancient planation plane to form a horizontal rock sheet, as the rock sheet cooled and shrank, neatly arranged stone pillars were produced.

The whole mountain is like a forest oxygen bar, breathing the freshest air while climbing.

At the other end of the mountain is the winding mountain road we passed. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures of the 180° turn back, but the colors and layers were enough to feast our eyes.

I met a little bug by chance and gave him a small yellow flower~

After walking around for a while, we returned to the familiar Jasper Lake. The two bamboo shoots we took from the farmhouse during lunch became props.

I took a photo of fishing by the lake. When I came back, I realized that the focus was a bit blurry. I immediately bought an 85 1.4 and took a few test shots. I am looking forward to the next portrait work.

Things to note on the second day:

1. If you don’t live in the mountains, it is not recommended to arrange too many itineraries on the same day. Go down the mountain before dark. Mountain roads without light or mountain roads with bad weather conditions are difficult to navigate.

2. There are several farmhouses near the park where you can have lunch.

3. Tickets can be purchased on Dianping.com one day in advance with a discount of 34 yuan/person.

 

Day 3 Wuzhen Xizha Scenic Area

Mingli Hotel: The Wuzhen Mingli Hotel I stayed at for the second night was really a great value! 229 yuan includes breakfast and is not a basic room type. The internet celebrity infinity swimming pool is awesome and a hit! It is recommended to shoot early in the morning. We are used to sleeping until we wake up naturally. After breakfast, the light is hard, which affects the effect a bit.

Xizha Scenic Area: First, let’s take a look at the flat tourist map of the scenic area, and then we will introduce a few worth-seeing points.

Wuzhen Grand Theater: The reflection is beautiful at night, and it’s not bad during the day either.

Muxin Art Museum: A separate ticket is 20 yuan. It is worth a visit to see the introduction and photos taken by others. The museum is closed on Mondays, so you can only miss it.

Dyeing House: It is a very popular scenic spot. However, due to the large number of people, the shooting conditions are limited. It would be much better to enter the park earlier. If you raise the camera and shoot upward, you can make your legs look longer and avoid the crowds.

Small bridges and flowing water: Wuzhen is essential and the most memorable.

There are not many people taking the boat on weekdays, and the scenic spot will also drive empty boats back and forth for effect, so if you want to take pictures, just wait quietly on the bridge and use the streamlines of the fleet to form a guide line composition.

Parade: There will be various boat parades from 13:50-15:00 every day, and the bridge is the best viewing point.

Suzhou Pingtan: There is Suzhou Pingtan in the bookstore, with about 4 to 50 seats. Maybe it is not full because tourists can’t understand it well.

There are still some features that must be found in the old streets of ancient towns. It gives the impression that the Xizha operator has managed it better. We have not seen similar products appearing repeatedly, and the tourists have a great experience.

After seeing the last scenic spot, I was ready to leave. Xizha is quite good. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there aren’t many tourists.

Things to note on the third day:

1. It costs 150 yuan per person to buy separate tickets for Xizha. It is not recommended to buy joint tickets. To be honest, Dongzha is not worth seeing.

2. Hotels in the scenic area are operated uniformly. If there is no special designation, B&Bs are randomly assigned. If you stay in the scenic area, you will get discounts on tickets.

3. The price management of the entire scenic spot is very good. Whether it is accommodation or catering, prices are strictly controlled.

4. If you like taking pictures, you can enter the park earlier or come at night to take pictures of the night scene.

 

write at the end

Summarizing the itinerary preferences , I have a special liking for the tea gardens and geological parks in Siming Lake and Siming Mountain; maybe because I am in Shanghai, I have visited many ancient towns around, but I don’t have a strong feeling about Wuzhen. But I believe that those who have never been to the water town will definitely like Wuzhen.

I chose Siming Mountain scenic spots . This time I visited the source of Yaojiang River and the Geopark because Danshan Chishui is more suitable for autumn, whether it is to see persimmons or ginkgos; the National Forest Park requires more time, so if I don’t stay here this time Time is a bit tight for us in the mountains.

My next itinerary is to go rafting in the summer and stay in a hotel on the top of the mountain to take photos of the Milky Way; in autumn, stay in the mountains with persimmon trees, ginkgo trees and red maples.