Kids Club: Xiangtun Village Loop

Hike a loop around Xiangtun Village, passing through chestnut and walnut orchards, visiting repaired Great Wall, and hiking by the stream in ‘Big Cloud’ Canyon.

Level 2

A few steep climbs on the Great Wall. 3–4 hours of hiking over approx. 5km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

We hike by Xiangtun Village on some of our longer walks, and the main attractions in the area are the Longquanyu Great Wall, a mostly-repaired section, and the ‘Big Cloud’ Canyon, a deep canyon with a small stream running down the middle.

For this visit we’ll start in the village and hike the easier part of the wall here, and finish by descending into the canyon and following it back up to the village.

Previously a farming area, the village is a small collection of courtyards and houses that are now mostly converted into guesthouses and small restaurants. The villagers still maintain their chestnut and walnut orchards, and when we’re not hiking up on the Great Wall or down in the canyon, we’ll be walking narrow dirt tracks through the orchards on the hills around the village.

We’ll finish our walk in the village square, and while we picnic you should also be able to shop for walnuts, chestnuts, and other village produce.

Kids club: relaxed outings for kids to enjoy some family time in nature. This outing is best for ages 6 and up. Younger kids could walk in places but would need to be carried for most of the hike.

Itinerary

Itinerary for the hike

08:30	Driving to the hike, stopping for a bathroom break
10:30	Start walking from the village, following a dirt track up to the Great Wall.
11:00	Take a break at the Great Wall and then hike up through some towers.
12:00	Detour off the Great Wall to avoid a cliff, and find a spot to eat some lunch.
13:00	Hike a dirt road back to the Great Wall and continue up.
14:00	Hike down from the Great Wall and start walking up ‘Big Cloud’ Canyon
15:00	Snacks and drinks at the village square.
16:00	Driving back, stopping for a bathroom break
18:00	Arrive at Lido, then on to Liangmaqiao

Things to do on the hike

See all the Wall: on a clear day we’ll see a lot of Great Wall … maybe as far as Huanghuacheng.

Find some chestnuts: most of the trees will have already been harvested, but we might find some chestnuts in the leaves below the trees.

Fall in the stream: actually, don’t do this—it will be freezing cold! We’ll hike up ‘Big Cloud’ Canyon, crossing the stream a few times on stepping stones.

Find the animal farm: there’s a mini-farm halfway up ‘Big Cloud’ Canyon. We usually see geese and ducks, but sometimes rabbits and chickens, too.

Please contact us if you'd like more details about the plan.

Participation notes

Safety and supervision: we choose hikes that are not dangerous, and we’ll warn you about any parts of the hike that require extra attention. You’re responsible for watching your children. We’ll let you know where’s good to play.

Vehicle: all participants must wear seatbelts while in the vehicle. Ask us about bringing your car seat, as certain seats might not fit.

Weather: if the weather doesn’t look like fun, we’ll cancel or postpone the hike.

Food: bring your own picnic lunch. We’ll supply some snacks and water for you.