Sodol Beach, Gangneung

North of Jumunjin harbour in Gangneung, right beside Sodol harbour and Adeulbawi Park, lies a compact sandy beach about 500 m long. Sodol Beach takes its name, meaning "ox rock", from the shape of the village, said to look like a reclining ox. The sand runs into a rocky shore, so you can combine a beach walk with the rock formations. It is quieter than the big resort beaches, which makes it a good choice for a calm look at the sea on a trip to Jumunjin.

A beach that disappeared and came back

The beach covers about 35,000 m². From the mid-2000s, coastal erosion steadily ate away a strip of sand that had been 30–40 m wide, and visitor numbers fell. In 2010 part of the coastal road even collapsed. That September the city declared the area a natural-disaster risk zone and, from the second half of 2012, ran a restoration project: the beach was widened, structures were installed to reduce sand loss and 30,000 m³ of sand was brought in. The beach you see today is the result.

What to see

• The beach: sand facing the open East Sea, where waves can run high. Tetrapods protect the front of the beach.
• Adeulbawi Park: the rocky shore behind Sodol harbour at the southern end of the beach. Its name, "son rock", comes from a legend that childless couples who prayed here were blessed with a son. Granite rocks shaped by waves and wind, including one that resembles an elephant, cluster along the shore, and the viewpoint looks along the coast from Sodol to Jumunjin Beach.
• Haeparang Trail: the Gangneung section of this long-distance East Coast trail passes along the shore, and you can follow the sand north to Jumunjin Beach.

The rocks around Adeulbawi have been worn by wind and waves into rounded, odd shapes. Paths and steps run between them, so you can get close, and on rough days the spray shoots high into the air. The beach itself shelves gently, which makes it a pleasant spot to watch the waves with children.

The Haeparang Trail runs the length of the East Coast from Busan to Goseong. At Sodol, the harbour's small breakwater and lighthouse, the rocky shore and the beach all lie within a few hundred metres, so in a short time you see several faces of the East Coast.

Tripto tips

• Sunrise: the beach faces due east, so it is a good sunrise spot. The sun comes up around 5:00 in summer and around 7:30 in winter; check the exact time for your date.
• Swimming: Gangneung City announces each year whether and when the beach opens for swimming, so check before a summer visit. On rough days stay off the rocks and tetrapods.
• Getting there: about 1.5 km north of Jumunjin harbour, a 20–25 minute walk. From central Gangneung, take a city bus towards Jumunjin and walk from there.
• Time needed: 1–2 hours for the beach and Adeulbawi Park.
• Photos: from the Adeulbawi Park viewpoint, look north to fit the rocky shore and the sand into one frame.
• Combine with: lunch at Jumunjin Fish Market, then walk up the coast to Sodol.