Yeongdeok travel info

Yeongdeok sits on the middle of Gyeongbuk's east coast. Step off at Ganggu Harbor and crab signs run along the quay, steam from the steamers shredding in the sea wind. Deciding between one big snow crab and two small ones is where the trip starts.

Farther north, the Changpomal Lighthouse in Haemaji Park stands at a cliff edge with a crab pattern wrapped around its body, and twenty-four wind turbines turn on the ridge behind it. The Blue Road coastal trail runs about 65 km from Ganggu to Goraebul Beach, and most people walk it one stage at a time. A little inland, Goesi-ri keeps lanes of tile-roofed houses for a slower afternoon than the beach gives you.

The food comes out of the sea. Snow crab season usually runs November to May, and locals love thinly sliced flounder (mijuguri) and cold raw-fish soup just as much. From Seoul it's roughly three and a half hours by express bus, and from Pohang the coastal Donghae Line takes about half an hour. The villages are far apart, though, so Ganggu, Yeongdeok town, Chuksan and Goraebul won't fit in one day. Without a car, pick one or two bases.

From Seoul (BUS)

From Pohang and Daegu (BUS)

From Yeongdeok town to Ganggu (KR)