Cycling on the Sichuan-Tibet Line in Southern Anhui

Ningguo-Jingxian-Xuancheng, 2018.10.2~10.4, riding the 200 kilometers of the Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui

I originally planned to go hiking in Senba on National Day, but due to the hasty preparation, I decided to go cycling at the last minute. I looked at my list of cycling destinations. Among the routes near Hangzhou in about three days, the one I wanted to go to most at this time was the Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui. The strategy was almost planned before, and bus tickets were temporarily available, so this route was taken off as soon as possible.

Let’s give a brief introduction first. The Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui is also known as "Jiangnan Tianlu" and "Southern Anhui 318". It is named because it is located in southern Anhui and has many winding mountain roads. This route starts from Qinglong Township, Ningguo City in the east and ends at Caicun Town, Jingxian County in the west, with a total length of about 120 kilometers. Passing through Gangwan Reservoir, the largest reservoir in southeastern Anhui, Banqiao Primeval Forest, Taoling Highway, Shuimo Tingxi Scenic Area, etc., you can see the thrilling twists and turns of the winding mountain road and the scenery of the mountains and rivers in southern Anhui. You can see the continuous bamboo sea and the occasional vast reservoir. Villages dot the area, which is especially suitable for self-driving and cycling.

For long-distance cycling enthusiasts, cycling is not only about the scenery passing by on both sides of the road, but also the cultural experience (such as food) in new places. This route can connect Ningguo, Jingxian and Xuancheng in southern Anhui. It is a place where you can enjoy both the scenery and the experience of a foreign land. It is a route worthy of a special trip. The following is a travel note first, and a simple guide is attached at the end of the article.

DAY 1 50km

Ningguo—Qinglong Township—Fangtang Township

Scenic harbor bay

On the second day of National Day, I cycled from my residence to the West Bus Station, caught the 7:30 bus from Hangzhou to Ningguo, took my road car on, and arrived in Ningguo in less than 3 hours. It was just after 10 o'clock and lunch was still early, so I left the station and set off. Not long after, I left the city and reached the suburbs. I came to an intersection and turned left to enter the so-called "Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Line".

▼ The entrance to the Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui. This is a county road, and the road suddenly becomes narrow.

After passing Qinglong Township, we entered the road next to Gangwan Bay Reservoir. From the map, the shape of the reservoir resembles an aura of a dragon, so it is also called Qinglong Bay. The road built along the mountain is sometimes close to and sometimes far away from the lake shore, so the lake disappears and appears during the ride. After riding to a viewing platform, you can get close to the lake along the mountain extending into the lake. You might as well go and have a look.

▼ The height of the water surface of the lake formed by water storage changes greatly. The trees that originally grew on the mountains are partially immersed in the bottom of the water due to the water storage.

▼ The lake is deep green and calm, surrounded by steep green mountains, like an inlaid piece of emerald.

When we were still one or two kilometers away from Fangtang Township, we passed by the Cypress Wetland Park. Looking down from the road, we saw thousands of acres of Cypress trees standing in the water. Autumn has just begun at this time, and the leaves of the bald cypress trees begin to turn from green to yellow and even red, showing gradations of color under the sunset. The boat sails slowly along the winding waterway and disappears into the background of the mountains behind.

There was an endless stream of self-driving vehicles on the road I was riding in the afternoon, and there were long queues of traffic from time to time, and sometimes it was difficult even for a bicycle to move. I thought today's trip would be easy, but it was actually 6pm when we arrived in Fangtang Township. Fangtang Township was originally a small town. In recent years, due to the rise of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway in southern Anhui, many inns have been built in the town. At this time, a large number of tourists from other places have poured in. Cyclists passing by on the road told me that all the hotels they called to book were fully booked. At the time, I didn’t think so. I was looking for them one by one, so I wouldn’t run out of places to stay. It turns out that I underestimated the tourist flow during the National Day holiday. I asked several hotels and they all said they were full. The sky was no longer visible, and I began to panic a little. Since I couldn't find it in the town, I rode back a kilometer and came to the place where I saw the bald cypress trees. There were also several people living here. Finally, the landlord of a hotel helped me ask the residents of the next few houses, and finally found a family who didn't own a hotel, but happened to have an empty room, and finally settled down. This family includes an old man, an old woman, and their grandson who is in the third year of high school. They watched TV for a while and then went to rest. They slept very comfortably that night. It must be because they were too tired from running around looking for a house.

DAY 2 100km

Fangtang Township—Tingxi Township—Jing County

Appreciate Wannan Tian Road

Today’s ride is expected to take a long time, with a distance of 100 kilometers, mainly over the Taoling Highway. We set off at 7:30 and soon passed the morning market in Fangtang Township. The locals set up a row of stalls on the bridge selling harvested agricultural products. The early morning sunlight from the mountains not far away was still very slant, and it shone on the baskets and bags in front of them, as if they were stained with dew and fresh, and I was attracted to them. Some sell wild fruits picked from the mountains, some sell vegetables grown in the fields, and a few people gathered around the stall to talk about the fresh water obtained from the stream.

▼ This old man sells the largest number of wild kiwis and the best ones. I bought some. The capacity of my backpack is limited, so I left the little space left for it.

▼ Kiwi fruit is as big as a jujube and has a hard skin, but is sweet and sour inside. When I bought them, they were all hard. Grandpa said they would soften after two or three days of storage. I picked out the soft ones and ate them every day while watching them.

From Fangtang Township to Banqiao Village, the road winds in the valley but has little ups and downs. It happened to be a good time to ride this route in the morning. The morning light shone on the road through the dense and quiet woods, which was full of fun. This relatively easy section of the road is to pave the way for the winding mountain road that follows.

After entering Taoling Highway and climbing over mountains and ridges, the route also entered Jingxian County from Ningguo. Some slopes are steep and you occasionally stop to rest. Riders passing by on the opposite side of the bike will also cheer you on.

It seems that we have climbed to the highest point of the route, and the view suddenly opens up. We can see the winding mountain road not far away, which seems to be called Seven Bends. I thought it would go downhill quickly, but I didn't expect to be stuck here for a long time.

▼ Hey, there seems to be a long black queue on this road, but it turns out they are all cars.

▼ Many people got out of their cars. It seemed like they had been stuck in traffic for a long time.

▼ Even bicycles can’t move, waiting for the traffic police to divert traffic. There is a traffic policeman at every corner, sometimes guiding the driver and sometimes reminding the driver to pay attention to safety.

▼ Take the opportunity to take a photo at a steep bend

At noon, we arrived at the entrance of a village in Suhong Township and bought some fruit and milk for lunch at a small shop at the intersection. The traffic police had implemented a short traffic control here to restrict vehicles heading to Taoling Highway.

Continuing forward, passing through Tingxi Township, there is a bridge across Tingxi Township. October is already the dry season, and the stream flow is not enough, exposing a large area of ​​river bed. However, it is conceivable that when the water flow is sufficient in spring and summer, the houses and bridges facing the water here should be more comfortable.

▼ From Aimin Township to Caicun Town, the stream flows along the valley and the road goes down the river

▼ There is insufficient water in autumn, so the bamboo raft can barely move through the river. I looked at them on the roadside, and they looked at me, and some waved.

From Caicun Town to Jingxian County, we finally rode out of the mountains and arrived at the gentle suburbs. It was almost evening, and as I watched the sunset gradually sinking into the mountains, I quickly stopped and took out my camera. At this time, two cyclists happened to pass by, so I pressed the shutter. I remembered that these two young men were riding very fast along the way, and the setting sun was a perfect contrast to them.

▼ The boy flying under the sunset

It was already dark when we arrived in Jingxian County. Fortunately, it is the county town after all, and the lights are bright. There is no need to worry about finding accommodation. The city still makes people feel safe. I found a restaurant and the owner recommended fish, as well as several kinds of wild fish that I haven’t eaten in many years. I ordered a Braised Yellow Yatou, which was very delicious. It was the most delicious food I have eaten in the past few days. The boss also recommended coming back tomorrow to eat several other kinds of fish, but it’s a pity that he has to go back tomorrow. What impresses people most during the journey is the unexpected delicious food.

DAY 3 50km

Jingxian County—Xuancheng

end

Today's journey is the easiest. It is a wide and straight provincial road connecting Jingxian County and Xuancheng with few ups and downs. It is the only section without traffic jams in the past few days. We also start riding at 7:30, and we can definitely reach there in 3 hours. The bus ticket back to Hangzhou is at 1:30 pm. There is still plenty of time after arriving in Xuancheng, so the journey is not rushed.

▼ Beside the Qinxi Bridge in Jing County, you can see a steep cliff, which is very impressive.

▼ There are occasional ups and downs on the road, but riding on such a road is easy.

When I arrived in Xuancheng, it was almost noon. I went to find a restaurant where I could eat fish and had a full meal. In the afternoon, I took the bus back to Hangzhou and completed another DIY trip along the Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui.

In short, the scenery and riding experience on this route are good, but it is best to avoid the National Day travel peak period. The climate is cool and the body feels comfortable when traveling in this season, but to see the misty and rainy scenery of southern Anhui that looks like an ink painting, April and May are more suitable.

But there will always be other variables before departure, and you can never wait for the perfect time, so whenever you have an idea, step out and you will see the scenery.

Cycling Guide on the Sichuan-Tibet Line in Southern Anhui

The Sichuan-Tibet Line in Southern Anhui starts from Qinglong Township in Ningguo in the east and ends in Caicun Town in Jingxian County in the west. It is about 120 kilometers long and passes through Ganggangwan Reservoir, Bald Cypress Wetland Park, Banqiao Primeval Forest, Taoling Tianlu, Shuimoting Creek, etc. As a cycling route, you can start from Ningguo, follow the Sichuan-Tibet Line in southern Anhui to Jingxian, and then from Jingxian to Xuancheng, the whole journey is about 200 kilometers. There are four relatively large climbs in total, all in the section from Fangtang Township to Caicun Town. Among them, Taoling Highway is the longest uphill. Three days is plenty of time to complete, and the actual riding time is only one full day plus two and a half days.

From Hangzhou, Shanghai and other places, you can go to the bus station and take a bus to Ningguo or Xuancheng. You can use the bus to carry your mountain bike or road bike with you. A certain luggage fee will be charged. Be careful not to take too many people on the same bus at the same time. The bus may not be able to accommodate bicycles, which will affect the journey. You can also take the bus when returning, or check in the bicycle by express or China Railway Express.

DAY 1: Ningguo City - Qinglong Township - Cypress Cypress Wetland Park - Fangtang Township, 50 kilometers;

DAY 2: Fangtang Township - Suhong Township - Tingxi Township - Aimin Township - Caicun Town - Qinxi Town - Jingxian County, 100 kilometers;

DAY 3: Jing County - Qinxi Town - Xuancheng, 50 kilometers.

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway in southern Anhui has been developed in recent years, and some inns have been opened along the way for accommodation. The towns along the way, Fangtang Township and Tingxi Township, are close to the scenic spots and have many accommodation spots. Ningguo, Jingxian, and Xuancheng are located in cities, so accommodation is more convenient.