"The Old Caoling Tunnel, Gongliao District in Taipei
Known to most Taiwanese folk through recital of the famous Taiwanese nursery rhyme, ‘Diu Diu Dong’ about a train going into the tunnel and the sound of water dripping inside, the Old Caoling Tunnel (舊草嶺隧道) is a designated ‘old historic site’ by both Yilan and Taipei counties.
Construction on the Old Caoling Tunnel began in 1921 until the project was finished in 1924 and although retired in 1986, the tunnel still serves as an important cultural and historic landmark for Taiwan.
Stretching in at just over 2 kilometers in length (2167 meters), the Caoling Tunnel was the longest tunnel in Taiwan when it was built nearly 100 years ago (I’m not sure how long it remained so).
Re-opened in 2006 as a bikepath, Today instead of trains rumbling through the tunnel one instead can find hordes of bicycles.
Yesterday, I was on one of them.
A short ride from Fulong train station, the entrance to the Caoling tunnel is decorated with many train themed statues (either by association or looking like they were built with train parts) along with an old retired train itself.
Here you had a horse along with little cannon looking things made out what I believe were old train signals.
These man and woman statues were looking their industralist best;
Meanwhile these large blue painted train wheels welcomed riders approaching the tunnel entrance.
On display was also this old orange train;
Note the red ‘no climbing’ sign on the second photo… and the inevitable unsupervised child climbing the train.
The Fulong side entrance of the Caoling tunnel is overgrown with green shrubbery and trees and really looks as if over time that nature itself has reclaimed the surface it was built on.
Note the policeman standing at the entrance to make sure order is kept and nobody is riding dangerously. Although you can’t see it in the photo (getting a clear shot of the tunnel was hard due to the popularity of the site), an inscription on the Fulong side reads: ‘Overcoming obstacles of nature‘.
Given the clear dominance of the greenery around the entrance, I’m not too sure this inscription still rings true.
The inside of Caoling tunnel is a mostly grey affair with interesting patternwork on the ground detailing the often ignored bicycle lanes riders are supposed to adhere to.
‘Cultural revolution’ style Chinese music was pumped through the length of the tunnel via invisible speakers and placed every 100m or so were also fire hydrants, I guess just incase anyone’s bicycle simultaneously burst into flames…
Here’s a video I took of the entire 2 kilometer ride through;
After riding through the tunnel, riders are immediately rewarded with some pretty nice views of Turtle Island.
In the immediate area just past the tunnel entrance there’s also some open space to relax and perhaps eat a packed lunch;
Interestingly enough, whilst the new train line isn’t visible from the Fulong side of the Caoling Tunnel entrance, on the Shihcheng side the train line runs right next to the park area.
If you’re patient enough, it doesn’t take long to witness a TRA train run past at speed on its way down the east coast.
Unfortunately there’s no way to continue down to Shihcheng after exiting the tunnel and this point you’ve got the option of returning through the Caoling Tunnel, or taking the newly opened Caoling Bikeway.
The Caoling Bikeway just opened last weekend and was the main reason I down in Gongliao District of Taipei County.
Unlike the bike paths I’ve cycled on Taiwan’s west coast, the Caoling Bikeway was at times breathtakingly beautiful and picturesque.
Till then, I’ll leave you with this shot of the entrance to the Caoling Tunnel from the Shihcheng side;
Note that like its Fulong counterpart, the Shihcheng entrance also has an inscription that reads: ‘Where white clouds fly’.
Getting to Caoling Tunnel is a relatively easy affair and those wishing to visit either have the option of cycling out to the tunnel from Taipei (what I did) which is a 150km or so round trip, or catching a TRA train to Fulong Station.
After you exit Fulong station, you can either hire a bicycle from one of the many vendors around and head down the newly resurfaced road down to the tunnel (turn right as you exit the station) or walk down (20-30 mins) and hire a bicycle from just outside the tunnel itself.
Caoling Tunnel is situated in Taiwan’s north up in Gongliao District in Taipei County. The tunnel is open daily from 9am to 5pm to visitors but note that on holidays (weekends and public holidays), only bicycles are permitted to enter the tunnel (though I did see some people walking through it). Prams and tricycles are also not permitted to enter the tunnel.
November 6th, 2011 at 7:06 pm yi(Quote)
good place to hide if there is a nuclear fallout.
November 6th, 2011 at 11:10 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Well yeah, save for the fact the tunnel is open at both ends and has air conditioning which draws ventilation from…. outside
.
November 7th, 2011 at 5:04 pm Robert(Quote)
How were the bikes you rented? I guess decent enough for or short ride.
Yesterday I was in the area hiking but we checked out the bike paths along the coast. Looked really good and as you said the views were magnificent. From Fulong the paths continued another 5km north to Audi and that also was a beautiful stretch (until dismal Audi).
From Audi you can head west along the 102 to Shuangxi and then loop back down to Fulong (no bike paths but the roads are quiet). For a though long ride turn at Shuangxi onto the marked bike route to Daxi.
A 35km ride along the watershed. Few houses, great scenery and super quiet on a weekday. From Daxi you head up the highway and can connect with the bike paths. A good 80km or so route.
November 7th, 2011 at 6:57 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
We didn’t actually rent bikes, I rode the Long Haul Trucker and the girlfriend was on her Pinnacle.
Buggered if I’m riding a mountain bike with knobblies for 150km!
We had lunch in Shuangxi on the way to Fulong (106 to Shifen then number 2 to the coast), nice little one street town that. The small bowl of noodles and glass bottle coke was just the ticket for lunch.
November 7th, 2011 at 7:09 pm Robert(Quote)
Well, look forward to the rest of the report.