Olle routes 20 and 21 [completing my second round]
Above route 20 in purple and route 21 in turquoise.
Route 20 - 5 April 2026
After returning from the D of E trip on the mainland, I had to priorities other things. When I was 8 years old, I was playing tag in the school playground at the start of the day. I slipped on ice, knocking one baby tooth out and an adult tooth loose. They placed a mould onto my top teeth, that acted as a sort of splint to allow time to heal. They also sowed back on a part of my lip and there were stitches in my gum. They did a great job and it lasted me another 54 years!
It had always had a bit of cracked enamel and had been a bit loose for many years. In December, I had an abscess on it and it actually dropped 2-3mm. The NHS dentist said that it needed to come out sooner rather than later and this was confirmed by the Korean dentist. It was not really bothering me much, though it made a different sound when tapping it with a finger nail and felt a bit strange. She had offered to remove it there and then, but I did not know how it would affect me the next day and I did not want to take time off work, so I left it until we had a two week holiday, to give myself time to recover.
I have also been suffering from a frozen right shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) and I have been having steroid injections in it and physiotherapy. I think that this originated from a volleyball injury about six months previously. I usually ignore such things and wait for them to heal, but on this occasion, I sought professional help. Thankfully, it does not interfere with walking, not even with a heavy pack.
It had always had a bit of cracked enamel and had been a bit loose for many years. In December, I had an abscess on it and it actually dropped 2-3mm. The NHS dentist said that it needed to come out sooner rather than later and this was confirmed by the Korean dentist. It was not really bothering me much, though it made a different sound when tapping it with a finger nail and felt a bit strange. She had offered to remove it there and then, but I did not know how it would affect me the next day and I did not want to take time off work, so I left it until we had a two week holiday, to give myself time to recover.
I have also been suffering from a frozen right shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) and I have been having steroid injections in it and physiotherapy. I think that this originated from a volleyball injury about six months previously. I usually ignore such things and wait for them to heal, but on this occasion, I sought professional help. Thankfully, it does not interfere with walking, not even with a heavy pack.
The previous time I did this route, it was raining with some sunny spells. Rain was not expected on this occasion. I had already stamped my Olle passport when completing route 19 a couple of weeks earlier. I was to return to this point two days later and stay in a nearby guesthouse.
There is a cafe/bakery place that I particularly like on this trail. It is called DELMOONDO. It is very early in the trail, but I had spent over an hour in a taxi and ready for elevenses. Elevenses seemed to be a feature of this trip, stopping three out of the four days bang on 11:00.
There is a cafe/bakery place that I particularly like on this trail. It is called DELMOONDO. It is very early in the trail, but I had spent over an hour in a taxi and ready for elevenses. Elevenses seemed to be a feature of this trip, stopping three out of the four days bang on 11:00.
Sometimes I photograph passing cyclists and motorbikes with the aim of having the person and their vehicle sharp but blurring the background by panning. I usually have my camera on the wrong shutter speed. A faster shutter means that the subject is sharp but the background is not sufficiently blurred. People on mopeds are easier than cyclists as their body are not moving relative to their vehicle. These were shot at 1/200s and 1/32s when really it needs to be at under 1/100s. One day, I will get it right.
The butterfly is a holly Blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus). The last picture shows the jwagwa yeondae smoke tower.
The butterfly is a holly Blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus). The last picture shows the jwagwa yeondae smoke tower.
I was carrying a 100mm macro lens, partly just to obtain very different photographs from my previous time, but also for botanical and entomological photographs.
Large Copper butterfly (Lycaena dispar)
The final stages passes Sehwa beach before arriving at one of the Olle offices, where the kind lady gifted me a protein drink and kindly took my photograph, though the picture shown was after several unsuccessful efforts and required additional help from a young Korean woman tat had just finished Olle 21 in reverse. I often find that people do not know how to use a "proper" camera. Thy do not get the idea of pressing the button to focus and then further to release the shutter. People can only tap a screen. Perhaps they are being too gentle with what they see as an expensive camera?
The route finishes opposite the Haenyeo Museum and the Jeju Haenyeo Anti-Japanese Movement Memorial Park that honours the 1932 protests where over 17,000 haenyeo (female divers) resisted Japanese colonial exploitation. There are busts of the leaders of the movement, such as Bu Chun-hwa, Kim Ok-ryeon, and Bu Deok-ryang.
My accommodation for the night was just a few minutes walk away. I decided to leave my tent at home. While I would probably have been OK pitching it overnight, I did not want to leave it there during the day while I did Olle route 21.
Route 21 - 6 April 2026
The weather forecast was not so good and it had rained overnight, but I did not need to put on a waterproof. I paced it out more than usual. It was cooler and I wanted to do out and back. I passed a number of people and unusually, nobody passed me! I completed the 10.5km and 180m of ascent in 2h 40 mins.
One of the main features of the route is the Byeolbangjin Fortress, which was designated as a Jeju Monument on April 3, 1973. The fortress is about 950 meters in circumference.
During my previous visit, I had missed the mid-point stamp, but I know what to look for this time. It is unlike any of the other stamping stations.
The people in the field are harvesting Jeju white radish, which is very important in Korean cuisine. I would want the job of the man in the tractor, who was waiting for the trucks to arrive, before loading the bags of radish onto the back of them.
One of the main features of the route is the Byeolbangjin Fortress, which was designated as a Jeju Monument on April 3, 1973. The fortress is about 950 meters in circumference.
During my previous visit, I had missed the mid-point stamp, but I know what to look for this time. It is unlike any of the other stamping stations.
The people in the field are harvesting Jeju white radish, which is very important in Korean cuisine. I would want the job of the man in the tractor, who was waiting for the trucks to arrive, before loading the bags of radish onto the back of them.
I celebrated the end of my second round with a chicken burger washed down with a Big Wave beer, before starting my next round in reverse. I am writing that us as a separate report.
