Fumao Old Trail 福卯古道

 

Fumao Old Trail, the former route between Fulong and the coastal fishing village of Mao'ao, is a very nice, mostly-level, easy to moderate walk in the Gongliao District of New Taipei City that only takes about 2 hours. Near the mid-point it passes the ruins of old stone houses. The hike is basically a very pleasant walk in the woods that ends at the ocean. Mao'ao, a small village by the sea, has a harbor, a large temple, some traditional houses and a few restaurants. Afterwards, take the bus back to Fulong. 

 

Distance/duration: 5.7 km\ 2 hours

More details as well as a map can be found here on my ramblr account.

Trail Overview: The walk starts at Fulong Train Station. Fulong is a popular place-- especially on weekends. There is a beach and not far from here is the Old Caoling Tunnel, a former railway tunnel converted into a biking route. There is also a seaside cycling route. There are lots of places that rent bikes and small motorized vehicles to day trippers. 

The walk begins on a road but soon joins the Fumao Old Trail福卯古道 which was the link between Fulong and Mao'Ao before the opening of the Northern Coastal Highway.  

This is an easy to moderate walk. It is mostly level--though it does climb a bit in the first half and then heads down toward the coast in the second half.

There are a number of old stone houses in the area. The route I walked only passes one of them but there is an option to take a side trip to see others. The area is home to a large population of Reeves muntjac deer. I've heard or seen them every time I have come here. 

Here are two nearby walks that include the other stone houses: 

Shicheng石城 to Longlong Mountain 隆隆山 Ridge Walk and Longlong Mountain Ancient Houses

Fumao Old Trail, Longlong Mountain and Revisiting the Longlong Mountain Ancient Stone Houses  

What to bring:   Not much is needed. I took water and some food but there are convenience stores and restaurants in Fulong and restaurants in Mao'ao.

Transportation: The trail is within walking distance of Fulong Train Station and there is frequent service to the station. From Taipei local trains take about an hour and a half or less and express trains just a little over an hour. You can check the schedule here: https://tip.railway.gov.tw/tra-tip-web/tip?lang=EN_US

After the hike, I took bus 865 back to Fulong but I suppose it would be possible to call a taxi, too. 

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The Hike

I arrived at Fulong station and started walking at about 9:50. It had rained heavily overnight but had stopped toward early morning and the forecast said no chance of rain for the rest of the day. It had been hot and sticky the night before but the rain had brought cool, overcast weather. As I set out it was a little cool wearing only a t-shirt and pants but I knew I would warm up while walking. 

Exiting the station I took a right and walked along Lane 2, Fulong Street which later becomes Guishougu Street. Fulong is less busy in the morning but there were already some cyclists --on either road bikes or electric bikes-- on the road and gathering outside the convenience store.

After ten minutes I came to Laoliao Street and turned left.  The road passed over a stream and passed a business renting bikes, then became a narrow country lane passing traditional houses. 

Lailao Street--second road on the left after leaving the station

 Less than ten minutes later I came to the trailhead. It was clearly marked by hiking flags. 

 

The trail is at first a concrete track. I had been here just one week before but it seemed different after the rain. The moss covered track was brilliant and emerald green and the stream next to the path was turgid and swift. I passed an Earth god shrine. 

I came to a point where the concrete track curved to the left leading to a house but the trail went straight. It climbed steps made of earth and wood and later, stone.

Later the path was a rutted muddy track but I was pleased to see that it was not very slippery even after heavy rain. I had been here before so didn't take a lot of pictures. I passed a couple of landmarks. There was a huge concrete slab--the ruins of an old foot bridge--that was askew but still usable. 

The path passed a farm plot. In front of a short path leading to the farm, there was a creepy collection of female mannequin torsos.

 

I came to the Lai family stone house. It is located at probably a little less than the halfway point. There is one smaller structure and two larger ones. Just before reaching the house there is a trail on the right that runs parallel to the main path at first and then goes away from it. This path leads to the Chen and Xiao family stone houses. They are well worth a look but I had just been there one week earlier, so after looking around the Lai family house, I kept going straight. 

The trail climbed slightly and drew near a road. I could hear occasional traffic but could not see the road. I came to a crossroads, with two paths on the right, one that goes straight at first and a short path on the left that leads to the road. 

I took the second path on the right. (The first one leads to the summit of Longlong Mountain). But before I did, I walked out to the road. While I was on the road I heard 2 or 3 hikers coming up from Mao'ao and taking the turn to Longlong Mountain but I I didn't see them and they never knew I was there. 

 The  path from the crossroads to Mao'Ao was wide and easy though there were some steep parts near the end. It was covered with leaf litter and passed through a forest of short, twisty trees.  I passed two side trails (alternative descents to the village) but I stayed on the wide, main path. As I was making my way down the sun came out for the first time that day. 

I saw several Reeves muntjac deer on the path. I got a good look at the first two, right in the middle of the path. I froze and they stiffened and froze but bolted before I could even get my phone out of my pocket. Later I saw some more just off the path but they were gone quickly, too. 

Finally, I saw two grazing right on the path and they did not see me. One wandered off the path but I did manage to get a picture of the other one even though it was from far away. 

 As I got closer to the end I could hear the sound of the sea. Finally the trail ended behind a police station. 

 I crossed the road, walked down a lane and turned right along the seawall toward the village. The sea was rough and long, waves rolled into shore.

 I walked around the village and checked out the Guanyin Temple and the harbor. There were several restaurants but I had packed a lunch. I went to a shelter house at the end of the village and ate my lunch looking at the sea and the village.

There was a footpath that went along the water. I followed it for a while but eventually I came to a dead end and turned back. 

 While I was in the village I got a message from my wife asking me to collect "a lot, a lot" of leaves for a project for her class. So after lunch I walked back up the path stuffing leaves into my backpack. By the time I got back to the bus stop I only had 30 minutes to wait for the bus. 

A young, Taiwanese guy --about my son's age--also got on and we talked a little. I was surprised to see a guy his age out also out exploring the village on his own. The bus took us to the Fulong visitors center. Its just a short walk across the road and uphill to the train station. 

 

Nearby walks: 

Shicheng石城 to Longlong Mountain 隆隆山 Ridge Walk and Longlong Mountain Ancient Houses  

Fumao Old Trail, Longlong Mountain and Revisiting the Longlong Mountain Ancient Stone Houses 

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Fumao Old Trail trailhead: 25.013892, 121.955887

Lai old stone house: 25.00986, 121.970831

Mao'Ao fishing port:  25.012545, 121.991524 Google maps link

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