Cycling from Fulong to Keelung: Relaxed Round Taiwan Trip Part Two

Cliffs at Longdong

The actual huandao route heads inland from Fulong to Taipei via the 台2丙線. It's a pretty and challenging route that follows the Pingxi Valley road. I've seen almost everything around the Pingxi Valley, and this is a lazier huandao, so we'll take the coast road. Part three from Keelung to Jinshan and four from Jinshan to Tamsui will follow soon.

This is a slightly more challenging route than part 1 but it's still fairly easy. The only hill is at Longdong and it is a pretty gradual climb. Both this route and part 1 could be completed in a day but we took our time.

Fulong to Longdong

Fulong in summer is a busy tourist town. People come to cycle the Caoling Tunnel and enjoy the sandy beaches. There are a number of budget hotels and one large resort. The resort controls the larger beach and you have to pay to enter this. I usually head to the beach in front of the huge Mazu Temple (pictured). The sand here is usually clean and the water is shallow, but be careful on days with waves as a rip can form near the seawall.

Fulong Beach

From Fulong the path follows a network of trails towards Longmen. Starting early morning before the heat hit made a huge difference and I'd recommend doing the same. This also meant traffic was light and we avoided daytrip traffic heading towards Keelung at the end of the day.

Fulong bike trails

After rejoining the road you'll pass the never-switched-on Longmen Nuclear Plant. This place has been the subject of a lot of controversy over the years and a couple of referendums. Since the 1980's Taiwan's population has swung heavily anti-nuclear energy and the ruling DPP party has plenty of links with anti-nuclear activists. The Fukushima disaster further boosted the anti-nuclear position and hastened the decommissioning of Taiwan's three currently operating plants.

Longmen Nuclear Plant as seen from Fulong

The coast from Aodi Port to Longdong is lined with strange concrete grid structures. These are pools for breeding abalone and Gongliao District is the center for this industry. In the early days there wasn't much control over the construction of these pools and they proliferated here. Currently some are still used, but no new ones can be built, and many are abandoned and crumbling. The whole stretch of coast from Aodi to Bitou has good snorkeling and if you’re cycling in summer it may be worth stopping off along this stretch to check out the sealife.

Abalone pool and clear seas

There isn't much else of note along this stretch of coast apart from a small beach at Jinshawan. Just before the tunnel after a climb turn right into the Xilingyan Temple car park. It's well worth walking or slowly cycling your bikes along the short trail over the cliffs here.

Accidentally poetic sign

The only real climb on this ride, it is long and gentle

From here to Shen'ao the coast is rugged and dramatic. The views from the lookout on this trail were spectacular and it's one of the few parts of the northeast that feels lofty. Taking this trail also means avoiding being caught in the tunnel with a truck screaming past!

From the cliffs you can see the rocky Longdong coast and its snorkeling spots. The area is also popular with rock climbers.

Longdong to Shen'ao

Re-joining the road you'll head around a small bay and then through a tunnel at Bitou Cape. This tunnel is not super long and it's easy enough to time traffic with the stoplights in the bay. Bitoujiao is another great hike which I covered here, and the excellent Bitou River Trace and Stegosaurus Ridge Hike also begin nearby.

This part of the route passes through my favorite coastal area in northern Taiwan. If you have time some of the lookouts and rocks listed on google are worth a visit. At Shuinandong there's a great view of the ruined smelter with Mt Keelung looming behind it. To the right the minerals from the old mine tunnels have stained the sea and rocks here, creating what's known locally as the Yin-Yang Sea. At Bianfudong take the road on the right rather than the tunnel. There's a bat cave somewhere around here but I have failed to locate it.

Mt Keleung

Shuinandong Smelter and the Yin Yang Sea

Shen'ao to Keelung

This short detour follows the route of a railway that used to serve the industrial areas at Shuinandong and the old coal power plant at Shen'ao. After a few bends you'll pass the old Haibin Station. Even though the coal plant is long gone the town is still very industrial with a large oil depot and harbor. I covered a few of the old mining sites and the Elephant Trunk rock in this blog post. The rock is well-worth taking a detour to if you're not pressed for time. The railway route sadly does not stretch very far and at Jiubin Road you'll need to head down some steps and rejoin the highway.

Old homes near the Haibin Station

Bird seller near Badouzi

From here the road heads into Badouzi passing the new rail bike attraction and Taiwan's northernmost TRA train station. Next is the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology which is highly rated on google though I've yet to visit.

National Museum of Marine Science and Technology

Shen’ao bike rail

Keelung Port

The area around Heping Island has a few interesting sites, including the ruins of the Agenna Shipyard, the Zhengbin Port Houses, and the newly restored Keelung Fisheries Association Building. I'll likely cover these in a separate post along with Heping Island. From here it's a fairly straightforward ride into central Keelung and its train station. Check out the route on the Hidden Taiwan Map and if you appreciate these posts take a look at the work I have available here

Colorful homes at Zhengbin

The old fishery building