Simatai Great Wall

Simatai Great Wall, 110km northeast of the city, though it is geared for mass tourism, with a cable and toboggan ride, is the most unspoilt of the restored sections of the Great Wall around Beijing. With the wall snaking across purple hills that resemble crumpled velvet from after, and blue mountain in the distance, it’s still beautiful, and fulfils the expectation of most visitors more than the other sections, though it gets a little crowded at weekend. Be aware that it’s pretty steep with some vertiginous drops. Most of the wall here is unrenovated, dating back to the Ming dynasty, and sporting a few late innovations such as spaces for cannons, with its inner walls at right angles to the other ones to thwart invaders who have already breached the first defence. Regularly spaced watchtowers allow you to measure your progress uphill along the ridge. The less energetic can take the cable car to the eighth tower. The walk over the ruins is not an easy one, and gets increasingly precipitous after about the tenth watchtower, which sheer drops and steep angles. The views are sublime, though. After about the fourteenth tower, the wall peters out and the climb becomes quite dangerous, and there’s no point going any farther.

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