Thursday 14 th October - Trekking towards Gu Bei Kou

Departing Erlaingzi we leave on local trails to follow the path of the Great Wall and then ascend to the wall for lunch. There is a grand panorama: perched on the ridgeline there is a superb outlook to a cluster of peaks and ranges on all points of the horizon. Following lunch we march towards Gu Bei Kou and descend from the wall in mid-afternoon back into Hebei Province for camp at a small village. Distance: about 8kms of hilly, slow walking.

Friday 15 th October - To Gu Bei Kou and back to Beijing

From the village we take local trails from one small valley to the next beneath the Great Wall, passing a number of small communities. At the head of a valley we gradually ascend to reach the Great Wall and then follow it to the west, descending in mid-afternoon to the ancient pass of Gu Bei Kou, now an important town between Miyun County of Beijing and Hebei Province. Buses await and we return to Beijing, and our hotel by 6pm. Dinner is at a Xinjiang (far western China) -style restaurant. Distance: About 10kms of valley walking, hilly steep walking.

Saturday 16 th October - Sights and sounds of Beijing

A full day in Beijing: We visit Tiananmen Square and then take a full tour of the Imperial Palace ("Forbidden City"), one of the world's most imposing edifices. Built during the Ming Dynasty at a time of construction of the last phase of the Great Wall it is of staggering dimensions. There are some thousands of rooms, many containing furniture and fittings dating either from Ming times or the last Dynasty, the Qing which spanned from 1644 to 1911. The huge courts of the Imperial Palace are flanked by pavilions containing gifts to the imperial families.

After the tour we take the bus to an old region of Beijing to stroll through the hutongs (alleyways). Here there are homes built during Ming times. There are traditional markets in these districts selling various from produce, sold in an energetic and noisy atmosphere. This is "real-life" China in Beijing's capital while not so far away are plazas of Western-style opulence. Dinner today is at an "old Beijing" restaurant, a place reminiscent of the past in its cuisine and decor. A superb, lively atmosphere!

Sunday 17 th October - Trip concludes. Day of departure from China.

An opportunity, depending on departure time, for a visit to the Hepingmen shopping district. Here there is an enormous selection of craftwork, art, bric-a-brac and interesting, low-cost souvenirs such as kites.

Depart Beijing and return home.