Heading for a taste of the unexplored

As the full force of summer hits Beijing, locals and expatriates escape the city swelter by fleeing to the hills. Luckily, Beijing is surrounded by some spectacular natural scenery, and the Great Wall not only provides a photogenic weekend destination, but some excellent hiking.

While many people flock to the ticketed (and crowded) restored sections, such as Badaling and Mutianyu, there are many unrestored parts of the Great Wall where you can not only escape the crowds but, after a tough day of hiking, also retreat to a country home for some great food and campfire singalongs－and only a few hours from the city. One such spot is the Chen family's home in Chenjiapu village, where basic accommodation, great food and cold beer make for a perfect weekend.

12:00PM

After a tortuous bus journey from Beijing, we shake off the trip by enthusiastically greeting the Chen family's friendly pets and admiring the beautiful garden. It is their guesthouse－and home－that we are spending the night in. Rows of vegetables are planted in the courtyard－they will soon be picked for that night's dinner. After putting our bags in our room, we get back on the bus to be dropped at the start of the ascent to the wall.

2:00PM

The first part of the climb is pretty much vertical - a shock to the system scrambling up loose stones. We reach the second watchtower and figure this is as good as place as any to stop for our picnic lunch; the view of the valley laid out before us is spectacular. We each find a good rock to perch on, our group of 1 produces sandwiches, seemingl from nowhere, and we chat and eat.

4:00PM

We keep walking, soaking in the lush, rolling scenery. This unrestored section of the wall in the Chenjiapu valley rarely sees tourists, and it feels like we are the only people for miles. The bricks are loose, crumbling, and many parts have been almost entirely overtaken by the thick shrubbery. It's been a wet summer and everything is green, lush and beautiful - snakes hiss in the thick undergrowth as we trudge past.

6:00PM

We finish the hike and are collected at the roadside to return to the guesthouse. We take turns in the single shower, while those outside in the courtyard, play with the water guns we brought from Beijing. The cat watches bemused as we corner a friend fresh from the shower with a water assault. We reward ourselves for the tough day of hiking by sipping from tall bottles of ice-cold Yanjing beers.

7:00PM

For dinner, our hosts wheel a table to the backyard under the branches of an enormous tree. The food is better than anything in Beijing's top restaurants. Fresh and mainly vegetarian, the produce has been picked that day from the family garden where vegetables are grown without the use of pesticides.

8:00PM

As the sun goes down, a campfire roars to life. We gather around the flames and pull out more self-brought supplies from Beijing－red wine, dark chocolate and a guitar. We sing campfire classics in English, Mandarin and Cantonese late into the night.

9:00PM

In the morning we are served more delicious food－oily bread, boiled eggs and steamed vegetables. We play with the family's pets, two dogs, a cat, and a couple of rabbits, before piling onto the bus for a sleepy but happy drive back to Beijing.

If you go

For bookings, visit greatwallfresh.com, or Manadrin speakers can call the Chen family on (86) 1361 126 4212.

A pickup service is available from Yanqing Bus Station or Huilongguan station on subway line 13. Yanqing Bus Station can be reached by taking the 919 bus from Deshengmen Bus Station in Beijing.