Written by By David Reid / Translated by: 陳安琪

Known by Taiwanese as the Bei Heng, it connects Daxi in Taoyuan County with Yilan, passing through some spectacular mountain scenery along the way.

The route is easily accessible from Taipei and while it involves quite a bit of climbing, it is not quite as lofty as its more southerly siblings. Any cyclist who goes for regular weekend rides should be able to tackle it.

I began the ride early on a Monday morning hoping to avoid some of the heat and traffic. Getting out of Taipei to Sanxia, was definitely the least enjoyable part of the ride. Even at an early hour of the morning there seemed to be too much traffic. However, past Sanxia the road starts into the mountains. The traffic thins out and there are views of idyllic farmlets and barely a car to be seen on the stretch from Sanxia to Sanmin.

At Sanmin the road joins the main Route 7, which continues all the way to Yilan. I passed by the town of Fuxing and the Xiao Wulai Waterfall. The waterfall is definitely worth the short detour as it is one of Taiwan's highest and most spectacular.

At the town of Luofu there are twin bridges across the upper reaches of the Shimen Reservoir. It was worth pausing for a while here because after that the road started its long ascent. Here the road climbs along the narrow valley of the Dahan River. It passes through a number of small villages. The Leaf Cafe in Ronghua was a welcome spot for a break.

I reached Baling a little after midday and stopped for lunch and an extended break. Many cyclists would probably be ready to end the day's riding here. There are several hotels and hot springs in the town making it an ideal spot for an overnight break.

Beyond Baling the road continues climbing ever higher. It passes through dense forest and with the increase in altitude the air becomes cooler and the forest becomes dominated by cypress trees. The road reaches a high point of around 1,200 meters.

I reached my destination for the night, the Mingchi Forest Recreation Area. It is a beautiful resort set amidst 1000 year-old cypress trees. Two cyclists who arrived at the same time as me offered to share a room and I happily accepted.

There was still a couple of hours daylight so after having a shower I walked down to the lake and enjoyed the wonderful scenery and fresh air. After a hearty dinner and an hour or so of talking I had an early night and a good sleep.

I got up early the next morning and after filling up with breakfast hit the road. It was still cool and shaded. The initial stretch was pretty flat and afforded some great views of the surrounding mountains. Even though Taiwan is a small island, mountains stretch out in every direction with hardly a sign of civilization to be seen.

The road eventually made a twisty and sometimes steep descent to emerge on the banks of the Lanyang River in Yilan. From there it was slightly downhill run along the banks of the river into Yilan.

As I approached Yilan the roads were wet and there were ominous looking black clouds to the north. Just before I reached Jiaoxi it started pouring and I took shelter in front of the nearest shop. Within an hour the rain had subsided and I hit the road again, stopping for some food and drink in Jiaoxi.

As I started on the “nine turns and eighteen bends” of the Route 9 to Pinglin it started raining again. I decided to push on regardless of the weather. The climb out of Jiaoxi is long, but the road is not too steep. The rain and clouds made for some dramatic views of the plains of Yilan.

By the time I rolled into Pinglin for a late lunch the rain had stopped and the roads were almost dry. The same couldn't be said of me though! I ate a hearty lunch and then began the final stretch on a familiar road. A large golden statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stands guard over the road on the climb up from Pinglin. It was still a bit further to the top of the hill but then it was a nice easy downhill run into Taipei.

Tackling the ride in two days was quite demanding. An easier way to do it would be to stay at Baling on the first night and then reach Yilan on the second day. From Yilan you could send your bike back to Taipei by train or bus or if you have time ride back to Taipei on the third day.

The original article was published on my blog at http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2008/09/cycling-the-northern-cross-island-highway/  This version has been rewritten and expanded. A selection of photos that can be used with the article is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidonformosa/sets/72157607198397757/