I set out trying to ride to Yilan (宜蘭市) via Wulai (烏來), however soon found that the road marked on my map was either impassible or not present. I'm still not entirely sure which it was, though I suspect the latter. After I returned from my successful trip to Yilan (宜蘭市) and beyond, someone back in Taipei (台北市) told me that although the road was slated for construction (which explains it being present on my map), it was never built (which explains the total lack of traffic, and why every local I talked to told me to go back to Taipei (台北市) and take a different route to Yilan (宜蘭市)!).

The road to Wulai (烏來) winds its way southward from Taipei (Taibei / 台北市) from the suburb of Hsintien (Xindian / 新店), the southernmost stop on Taipei's green MRT (mass rapid transit) line. After climbing a small hill out of Hsintien (新店), you get a view of a temple and river, then drop down in to the quieter scenery of Taipei province (台北縣). Shortly thereafter, you have to take note of the signs and turn right to stay on track for Wulai (烏來).

The winding and undulating nature of this first part of the road sets the stage for the whole trip - a fairly indirect affair that is pleasant for its vaguaries. Along the route, there are a heap of interesting little sites - temples, old churches, swimming spots in the river (locals are keen, but I didn't partake), roadside sculptures and murals. The traffic is light the whole way, and some parts even have respectably wide shoulders.

There are a couple of towns before Wulai (烏來) that are large enough to sport restaurants, so dont panic if it starts raining or you get a case of the munchies. In my case, I got both and it was still no problem. The food out this way is much cheaper than Taipei, too .. so if you can hold out for breakfast, get out here first!

There are many interesting features of this section of road. The first is aboriginal murals and sculptures that are present. Though seemingly falling in to a state of disrepair, boldly posed hunters in brightly coloured garb certainly spice up the roadside vegetation. Also, one section of road sports a short boardwalk, which falls off fairly sharply to the right - giving a nice view of the river-valley.

The town of Wulai (烏來) itself is a veritable hub of river activity, with a fair smattering of recreational fishermen, a good deal of swimmers, and some townspeople washing their clothes. All this, with the comfort of at least one ubiquitous 7-11 at arm's reach! Famed for its hot springs, Wulai (烏來) also offers a fairly spectacular waterfall, which is just a little further around the bend in the river. Though the main road (and thus any bicycle) winds quite far up the hill before descending around the bend, it is possible to stop at Wulai (烏來) and just walk around the corner to view the falls.

A cable car runs to the top of the falls, and is part of some kind of crazy themepark. I went up there, for some fairly hefty sum. Though it was dead on account of the rain, I still had a good look about... you have to pay for all the attractions on top of your park entrance fee, but these include a nice pool, some shooting galleries, various rides, etc. The only freebies were some mediocre and short bushwalks around the southwestern corner of the park, and a set of rope challenges which kept my brain generating flashbacks to scouts and school-camps.

Overall, if you pick a nice day, this could be a really good outing - with the entire ride taking only two hours one-way (even at a leisurely pace like mine), you can easily set off for a day at Wulai's hot-springs or theme-park, and return in the late afternoon.

Walter Stanish
Sydney, Australia
2002-08-13

You can follow my other mountain biking adventures here.