Trying to make an ideal travel plan for Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) is something I struggle to every year. The time is one of the most celebrated national holidays in Korea and this year (of 2020) the holiday period was from January 24th to 27th.
But the fact that the Seollal holiday falls in winter, it did not take me long to consider Gangwondo, the coldest and most snowy area in Korea, as a proper destination for venturing out this time.
Roughly 2-hour-drive from Seoul is what it takes you to Pyeongchang County in the province of Gangwon-do. The county is known for its charming wintery and as heaven for skiers. Three remarkable ski resorts were situated here; Phoenix Park, Yongpyong and Alpensia. And the two latters were used to host the majority of the Olympic snow events in 2018 Winter Olympics. Besides the atheletic amusements, for those who are not into winter sports there are numbers of highland farms scattering around in Pyeongchang. However, if you would wish to see some flock of fluffy sheep too, head to Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch since it is the only ranch that raises sheep in the area.
My plan for the Seollal holiday is to cover them all, one day for sightseeing at the ranch and one day for sking. Luckily, Daegwalryeong sheep ranch was one of the places that remained its door open on the first day of the holiday (then stay close on the rest of the holiday period). But still, checking their official website is a must before finalizing your itinerary.
We arrived in Daegwallyeong in the late morning of the Lunar New Year break day one. Instead of the sight of powdery snow blanketed hills as we had expected from the forcast, it was an eerie look of misty atmosphere that greeted us. Although it was awing but the fog turned out to be a significant obstacle to drivers. If you are not a very skilled road user, please be extra vigilant when visit on a very foggy day.
It had been reported of a blizzard in Pyeongchang earlier that week but the ambient condition was not proper enough for the snow to stick around. However, there was some trail left at the entrance to the ranch.
The rest of our morning was quite nice as we wandered around the venue plunging ourselves in an oddly beautyful sight of murky wilderness. The stroll along an 1.2 kilometer route ended quite faster than we expected since there was not a single sheep to distract. You can see them grazing in the field in the warmer seasons but not in winter. The sheep are gathered in shacks at the heart of the farm to get warm and some await for your treats at the feeding area. Exchange your ticket for a basket of hay then enjoy the closer interact with those shaggy cloud.
*Psst! Do not forget to try a piece of sheep-shaped pastry stuffed with various plasant flavors selling nearby the parking lot. My recommend is the custard one! It was very creamy and amazingly delicious.
Access
How to get there from Seoul: go to Dong Seoul Bus Terminal in front of Gangbyeon station (Seoul subway line 2, exit 4) --> Take an intercity bus to Hoenggye (횡계) Intercity Bus Terminal (~2.30hr/14,600KRW) --> Take a taxi to the farm (8 min/10,500KRW)
Naver Map: Daegwallyeong Yangtte Farm 강원 평창군 대관령면 대관령마루길 483-32 대관령양떼목장 http://naver.me/G0f2DHEn
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