This is a looping version of our High Tower hike, taking a hill trail up to a rough line of wall and following that up to the restored section that peaks at the High Tower. To come back down, we’ll continue past the High Tower, following a tumble-down, rocky part of wall past the remains of a special round tower and then hiking forest trails and tracks back down to the starting point.

Our start point is at the end of the road, up a long valley. We begin with a short walk on a gravel road, and on to a rough dirt trail that will take us up to a dip in a ridgeline. Not many people walk this way, and the trail is likely to be a little bushy.

This dip in the ridgeline must have been an important crossing place back in the Ming Dynasty, as it looks to have been heavily fortified. We’ll take a break on the foundations of a huge tower that was built beside a large rock outcrop – quite a unique view.

From this point we’re following the Great Wall all the way up to the High Tower. When we first started hiking here it was 100% rough and unrepaired. Since then, most of the wall here has had some repair work done.

The first part past the tower foundations is steep, and you’ll need to take it slow. If you’re not good with heights, you won’t enjoy this section – the footing is quite loose, and you can see quite a drop.

We’ll hike by nine towers on the way to the top, heading up slowly. When the steps and stairs on the wall start getting super-steep you’ll know you’re nearly at the top.

At 1,440m above sea level, the High Tower is visible from other hikes we do in the same hills: it’s east of the Big Plate Camp hike, and the line of wall we climb up to reach it is directly connected to the Switchback Great Wall hike. This means we’ll have excellent views of the Great Wall all around.

We’ll stop beside the High Tower for a lunch break, and to enjoy the views. A few minutes’ walk away are some more peaks, and you’ll have time to take a wander. From one of the peaks, you can see all the way back to Beijing on a clear day.

After our lunch break, we’ll head down the hill, following a different path through forested hills and valleys. We skirt a broken and slippery section of wall, and then follow it down for a little while before turning on to a zig-zag hill trail that leads down to the village roads and the carpark where we’ll meet our bus again.