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I wasn’t supposed to find this part of the Great Wall of China 🇨🇳 |S8, EP150
Finding a Secluded Section of the Great Wall of China
The main areas to see the Great Wall of China are overrun with the crowds. But with 21.000 kilometers of wall, there have to be places where you can have the wall to yourself. Right?!
International Paperback edition = NOT signed
Here I teach all my filming techniques including getting drone shots...
The main areas to see the Great Wall of China are overrun with the crowds. But with 21,000 kilometers of wall, there have to be places where you can have the wall to yourself. Right?!
So I set off on my motorcycle to search for one of those places. I didn't want the packed viewpoints or the long lines—I wanted a part of the wall that still felt wild. Following side roads and rough tracks, I rode deeper into the landscape until the crowds disappeared. That's when I found a stretch of the Great Wall I wasn't supposed to find. It stood silent, crumbling in places, with no ticket booths and no selfie sticks. I climbed up and walked along the old stones, looking out over the hills as far as I could see. It was just me and the wall.
This is the best of China for me: not the busy famous sections, but the quiet, forgotten ones. If you're ever searching for the Great Wall, remember it's more than 21,000 kilometers long. There is still a place where you can have the wall to yourself.
Most tourists experience the Great Wall of China packed shoulder-to-shoulder, but this episode takes the road less traveled. Following a 21,000-kilometer ribbon of ancient stone, Itchy Boots searches for a stretch no one else is crowding. What she uncovers is a side of the wall she wasn't supposed to find—wild, empty and all hers. Riding her 1987 Yamaha Tenere through China's landscapes, she proves that adventure still waits beyond the souvenir stands. It's a rare, personal encounter with one of the world's greatest wonders.
The main areas to see the Great Wall of China are overrun with the crowds. But with 21,000 kilometers of wall, there have to be places where you can have the wall to yourself. Right?!
So I set off on my motorcycle to search for one of those places. I didn't want the packed viewpoints or the long lines—I wanted a part of the wall that still felt wild. Following side roads and rough tracks, I rode deeper into the landscape until the crowds disappeared. That's when I found a stretch of the Great Wall I wasn't supposed to find. It stood silent, crumbling in places, with no ticket booths and no selfie sticks. I climbed up and walked along the old stones, looking out over the hills as far as I could see. It was just me and the wall.
This is the best of China for me: not the busy famous sections, but the quiet, forgotten ones. If you're ever searching for the Great Wall, remember it's more than 21,000 kilometers long. There is still a place where you can have the wall to yourself.
Itchy Boots starts in Ulanqab and rides alone toward Beijing while her companion travels separately. She uses Amap on a tablet that needs internet, then discovers she has no cash and completes Alipay setup so she can buy fuel. At a Beijing boundary checkpoint, she shows her papers. She reaches a motorcycle shop on Beijing’s outskirts, eats noodles, replaces worn tires and gets a missing screw fitted. The next morning she starts toward a Great Wall ridge while it is still cool. The climb is steep and rocky; she uses a cable for support and says she cannot film while walking because she needs both hands. She calls the less-restored section the wild wall, describes broken and intact stretches, and says the wall spans 21,000 kilometres. She gives historical context for the Ming-dynasty section and eats walnut cookies before climbing back down.
Itchy Boots rides from Ulanqab toward Beijing after her travel companion cannot safely ride, stopping at a motorcycle shop for tires and a missing screw. She describes using Amap with a phone hotspot and setting up Alipay before she can pay for fuel. The next morning she hikes up a steep, rocky route to a less-restored stretch of the Great Wall, which she calls the wild wall. She sees fallen stones and intact sections along the ridge, explains that this Ming-dynasty section was built between the 15th and 16th centuries, and says quieter stretches can be reached away from the busy restored areas. The climb requires scrambling and using a cable for support.
Itchy Boots rides toward Beijing, sorts out motorcycle repairs and mobile payment, then climbs a steep route to a quiet, unrestored stretch of the Great Wall.
Great Wall of China Hike: A Quiet, Unrestored Section
2:34 Amap needed a continuous internet connection, but the host could not put her SIM card in the tablet because she had left its special tool behind. She used her phone as a hotspot, which drained its battery, so plan your navigation and power setup before setting off.
3:46 If you rely on mobile payments, finish setting up and verifying the payment app before a long ride. The host had not connected a bank card to Alipay and realized she had no cash when she needed fuel; she completed setup before paying.
11:40 Keep the temporary Chinese license-plate card with your motorcycle papers. At a checkpoint, the camera system did not recognize the host’s Dutch plate, so she showed the temporary Chinese plate card to the officer.
9:27 Check your motorcycle tires before a long trip. The host found the front tire badly worn and replaced both tires; she said her rear tire had lasted more than 8,000 kilometres and that the set handled asphalt, dirt and sand better than slippery mud.
11:06 Get an unfamiliar steering problem checked during a tire stop. The shop found a missing screw, modified a replacement and lubricated the steering-head bearings after the host said the steering had not felt right.
15:48 The host began her hike at 6:15 in the morning and said it was still cool. An early start worked for this climb, which became steep and rocky as she approached the ridge.
16:40 Do not try to film while walking over the steep rocks. The host said she needed both hands to steady herself, and she used the cable placed along part of the climb for support.
20:23 Bring a snack for the hike. The host had bought walnut cookies in the village the night before and stopped to eat and drink before climbing back down.
2:34 Amap needed a continuous internet connection, but the host could not put her SIM card in the tablet because she had left its special tool behind. She used her phone as a hotspot, which drained its battery, so plan your navigation and power setup before setting off.
3:46 If you rely on mobile payments, finish setting up and verifying the payment app before a long ride. The host had not connected a bank card to Alipay and realized she had no cash when she needed fuel; she completed setup before paying.
11:40 Keep the temporary Chinese license-plate card with your motorcycle papers. At a checkpoint, the camera system did not recognize the host’s Dutch plate, so she showed the temporary Chinese plate card to the officer.
9:27 Check your motorcycle tires before a long trip. The host found the front tire badly worn and replaced both tires; she said her rear tire had lasted more than 8,000 kilometres and that the set handled asphalt, dirt and sand better than slippery mud.
11:06 Get an unfamiliar steering problem checked during a tire stop. The shop found a missing screw, modified a replacement and lubricated the steering-head bearings after the host said the steering had not felt right.
15:48 The host began her hike at 6:15 in the morning and said it was still cool. An early start worked for this climb, which became steep and rocky as she approached the ridge.
16:40 Do not try to film while walking over the steep rocks. The host said she needed both hands to steady herself, and she used the cable placed along part of the climb for support.
20:23 Bring a snack for the hike. The host had bought walnut cookies in the village the night before and stopped to eat and drink before climbing back down.
0:34 Riding from Ulanqab toward Beijing
2:34 Navigating with Amap
3:46 Fuel and mobile payments
6:32 Crossing the Beijing boundary
8:02 Reaching a motorcycle shop
9:04 Lunch and motorcycle repairs
11:25 Riding toward the Great Wall
15:48 Starting the Great Wall hike
18:36 Walking the wild wall
20:23 A snack before climbing down
21:03 Returning to the village
0:34 Riding from Ulanqab toward Beijing
2:34 Navigating with Amap
3:46 Fuel and mobile payments
6:32 Crossing the Beijing boundary
8:02 Reaching a motorcycle shop
9:04 Lunch and motorcycle repairs
11:25 Riding toward the Great Wall
15:48 Starting the Great Wall hike
18:36 Walking the wild wall
20:23 A snack before climbing down
21:03 Returning to the village
round the world on motorbikemotorbike travellersolo female travelleradventure rideroffroad motorcycleitchy bootsyamaha tenereyamaha xt600xt600zvintage motorcycle1987 yamaha tenerearound the worldgreat wall of chinatravel chinabest of chinaWas the Great Wall section crowded?
The host described this less-restored stretch as quiet and said she could be there without the crowds at restored sections, though reaching it required a difficult climb.
How difficult was the climb to the wall?
It was steep and rocky. The host needed both hands to climb and used a cable for support.
When did the host start the hike?
She began at 6:15 in the morning and said it was still cool.
What did the host use to navigate?
She used Amap on a tablet, connected to the internet through her phone’s hotspot because she did not have the special tool needed to install the SIM card in the tablet.
What did she do when Alipay was not ready for fuel payment?
She completed the app setup and then paid for fuel by unlocking her phone.
