Forget Your Worries as You Walk Through the Barley Fields

Hot weather reminiscent of early summer continues day after day. With the weather arriving before spring's charm can even be felt, an early discomfort index causes headaches. If you feel trapped in the complexity of the urban jungle, why not take a moment to immerse yourself in the blue waves of the barley field nestled at the foot of Gwanggyo Mountain?

“As I walk through the paths of the barley field, I hear someone calling and stop. My old memories feel lonely, and when I whistle, a beautiful song reaches my ears…(cont.)” ('Barley Field,' lyrics by Park Hwa-mok, music by Yun Yong-ha)

Getting off at the Bus No. 13 terminal and walking about 50 meters along the main hiking trail entrance toward the Sajang Dam, a barley field dances into view on the left, with gentle waves rippling.

The swaying barley heads, each whispering and conversing with one another, guide the eyes and footsteps of hikers descending from Gwanggyo Mountain or about to ascend it toward the barley field.

When you stroke the fresh green ripening heads along the path laid through the barley field, the sensation touching your palm seems to awaken senses dulled by fatigue in daily life.

As you stroll through the barley field path where the grain has grown tall enough to reach one's waist, it is perfect for creating memories while lost in the rhythm of the barley heads.

A hiker asks the reporter, who is slowly walking through the barley field, to take a photo and hands over a mobile phone camera.

The hiker from Youngtong-gu expressed vitality, saying, “After finishing my hike and walking through the barley field, all the fatigue in my body and mind seems to disappear—it's wonderful.”

After enjoying the barley field, you can also end your Gwanggyo Mountain hike by walking the 260-meter-long 'barefoot trail' made of pebbles at the mountain's hiking entrance.

The crunching sound of the pebbles and the sensation on the soles of your feet are perfect for relieving the fatigue accumulated from climbing and descending the mountain.

The Gwanggyo Mountain barley field in the Sanggwanggyo-dong area of Jangan-gu, covering 14,303 square meters (4,326 pyeong), is an intended site for nature ecology learning being promoted by Suwon City. The city sowed barley here in October last year for hikers.

Ju Young-soo, team leader at the Parks and Greenery Division of City Hall, explained, “Before developing this site into a nature ecology learning center, we sowed barley and other scenic plants here.” He added, “We will operate this site as a rest space for citizens until October.”

The city plans to sow sunflowers and cosmos in June when the barley is harvested, promising yet another spectacle to adorn summer and autumn.

As spring comes to an end, why not immerse yourself in the charm of the verdant barley field, and in summer and autumn, lose yourself in the colorful canvas created by sunflowers and cosmos?