Walk the Great Wall on Glass Our Epic Huanghuacheng Adventure (As Seen on BBC’s Race Across the World)

The Great Wall Like You’ve Never Seen It: Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall

If you reckon every Great Wall experience is basically the same, think again.

Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall gave us one of the wildest and most unforgettable days of our entire world trip. Ancient watchtowers, mountains, glass bridges, boats, rail cars and, rather unusually for the Great Wall of China, a massive lake.

And the timing was ridiculous.

We visited without having any clue that just one day later, the BBC’s Race Across the World would air an episode beginning right here.

Complete fluke.

We’d chosen Huanghuacheng because we wanted something a little quieter and more adventurous than the usual Great Wall stops. Somehow, we managed to stumble across it just before millions of people watching at home discovered it too.

Talk about timing.

And honestly, this isn’t just another place to grab a photo of the Wall and head home.

There are glass-bottom bridges, mountain rail cars, boats, gondolas, gardens, lakeside walks and views that barely look real.

It’s part ancient wonder, part mountain adventure and absolute family gold.

Getting There: Cheap, Easy and Surprisingly Relaxed

Our adventure started with a roughly £5 Didi ride across Beijing to meet our coach.

From there, it was around a 90-minute drive out into the countryside.

Even better, there wasn’t a single whinge from the kids.

Parents will understand just how significant that statement is.

The further we travelled from Beijing, the more the scenery changed. City disappeared into farmland, mountains began creeping onto the horizon and everything started feeling considerably more adventurous.

Then we arrived.

After entering through the turnstiles, the route itself became part of the experience.

We walked through a tunnel, crossed the dam and took a boat across the water.

And then suddenly there it was.

The Great Wall.

Clinging to the hillside above the lake in all its slightly ridiculous, how-did-humans-build-that glory.

It was one of those proper travel moments.

Taking the Easy Route to the Great Wall

There are times for heroic hikes.

There are also times when somebody has conveniently built a machine that carries you up a mountain.

We chose the machine.

Huanghuacheng has a mountain rail car that whisks you upwards without requiring you to spend the next hour climbing approximately nine billion ancient stone steps.

It’s steep, smooth and surprisingly fun, almost like being transported up to some hidden fortress in the mountains.

Then you step out at the top.

And bloody hell.

The Great Wall stretches away across the surrounding green hills, watchtowers punctuating the ridgeline while the lake sits far below.

Photos don’t quite capture the scale of it.

You’re standing on stone laid centuries ago, looking across mountains and valleys while the Wall twists into the distance.

It’s the sort of view that stops the conversation for a moment.

You just stand there and take it in.

Where the Great Wall Meets the Water

This is what really makes Huanghuacheng special.

After exploring the higher section of the Wall, we made our way back down towards the lake.

Here, sections of the Great Wall appear to run straight towards the water.

It’s spectacular.

The weather was on our side too. Blue skies, calm water and towers reflected across the lake while the mountains rose behind them.

It felt less like somewhere we’d travelled to and more like we’d accidentally wandered onto a film set.

And perhaps the biggest surprise of all?

Hardly any crowds.

No fighting through tour groups.

No elbows appearing in every photograph.

No constant stream of people marching past.

For large parts of the visit there was just the breeze, birds, mountains and this enormous ancient structure stretching away around us.

That quietness changes the whole experience.

Instead of simply seeing the Great Wall, you get time to actually feel where you are.

Then Someone Built a Glass Bridge

Because apparently ancient Chinese fortifications, mountains and lakes weren’t dramatic enough.

Enter the glass bridge.

Suspended high above the landscape, it gives you an incredible view across the lake and surrounding hills.

The kids?

Absolutely no problem.

They charged across it like they’d entered the qualifying round of Ninja Warrior.

I walked rather more carefully.

Obviously this was because I wanted to appreciate the scenery.

Nothing whatsoever to do with my brain repeatedly reminding my legs that I could see several hundred feet of nothing underneath them.

The glass isn’t even the strangest bit.

Some of the steps around this section are incredibly steep and slope slightly forwards, meaning at points you’re practically leaning backwards just to convince your body you’re not about to tumble down the mountain.

Slightly terrifying?

Yep.

Worth it?

Absolutely.

Standing there with the Great Wall twisting through the mountains around you is one of those memories that gets permanently filed away.

Boats, Gondolas and More Family Adventures

Once you’re back down by the lake, the place keeps going.

There are scenic paths, gardens, places to relax, boats, gondolas and even water-based activities during the warmer months.

We didn’t try everything, but that’s partly what makes Huanghuacheng such a good family day out.

You aren’t simply visiting one historical monument.

You can hike for a while, take a boat, ride up a mountain, explore the Wall, terrify yourself on some glass, wander around the lake and then find somewhere to sit while the kids burn off whatever impossible reserve of energy children apparently manufacture internally.

Despite having plenty to do, it never felt like we’d wandered into a theme park.

The Great Wall is still unquestionably the star.

Everything else just gives you different ways of experiencing the landscape around it.

Was Huanghuacheng Worth Visiting?

Without question.

This became one of our favourite days in China.

We climbed the Great Wall.

We glided up a mountain.

We crossed a glass bridge.

We travelled across the lake.

We saw the Wall disappearing into hills and water.

And somehow we managed to do all of it without huge crowds or the stress you sometimes associate with major tourist attractions.

Then, the following day, we switched on Race Across the World and discovered we’d apparently been following in their footsteps before we even knew they were there.

Very considerate of the BBC to confirm we’d made a good choice.

If you’re visiting Beijing and fancy seeing a completely different side of the Great Wall, put Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall firmly on the list.

It isn’t simply the Great Wall.

It’s mountains, water, history and a little bit of adrenaline bundled into one brilliant day out.

And now that millions of Race Across the World viewers have seen it too, I suspect the secret might be getting out.

We were lucky enough to catch it just beforehand.

Follow our family as we travel the world one jaw-dropping, occasionally chaotic and usually snack-fuelled adventure at a time.

Real places. Real tips. Real laughs. Real memories.

Just how travel should be.