Having tried and failed to do all the routes I had planned 2 weeks ago I took the opportunity of a GTR dinner in Sri Satchanalai to go via Nan, stop over for a night and ride a few more mountain roads before exiting at Phrae and take the main roads south. I chose the main roads from Tha Ton to Chiang Rai and on down to Phayao and then cut across via Dok Kham Thai on the 1251 and 1091, both quiet country roads with nice views and pleasant surfaces to get into Nan in time for lunch. To fill in a few spare hours I made a clockwise loop on the 1168 east out of Nan to Mae Charim, a forested road for most of its length with no views, and then returned on the 4005, a far more picturesque road which finally had me getting the camera out. I was back in Nan for a very surprising tourist packed (domestic) walking street market and a cheap dinner followed by an early night.
With great surprise I was given a 6.30 breakfast so was on my way by 7.00 for what I guessed would be a full morning of riding, and for once I got it right. With almost no morning traffic the route south out of Nan was quiet and quick, the left turn off the 101 at Wiang Sa being obvious but the right just after on the 1026 to Na Noi was poorly marked as seems common in Nan province. For the first 15 minutes I could hardly believe my eyes, the 1026 to a little known town being wider and better furnished than many Chiang Mai highways, with 4 wide lanes, rows of street lights and a middle strip painted in yellow chevrons. Why didn't I take a picture?
The road did finally turn into something more like a country lane but it had a great surface and almost no other vehicles to ruin your day. Once in Na Noi it was obvious I needed a right turn but once again I failed to see a sign pointing out the 1216 and resorted to google maps on the telephone to be sure I wasn't off into the bush. It started quietly, a typical small road in the country, farms, lots of rubber plantation, a small lake, and more or less flat. At one village the road surface complete with yellow lines went straight ahead leaving me passing the left turn that finally turned out to be the road I wanted which I think did have a sign to Khun Sathan National Park which I was unaware of being on my route. I'll come back to that later. The climb started slowly and thankfully the morning mist was clearing and the sun starting to shine bright. It was a while before I realised that this was a very high mountain pass, some big terraced cuttings having been made to facilitate the road which so far had very few signs of habitation on it. And then I was at the top with just a few other Thai tourists. Stunning.
Taking in the views I couldn't for the life of me work out how a place like this had managed to stay off my radar for so long. Am I alone in never hearing of this gem or has it only recently hit the tourist lists? If Phu Chi Fa and Doi Chang can get the big crowds how did anyone manage to keep this place a secret? At present there is just enough development to accommodate a few passing SUV's, enough restaurants to get a meal and places to get a coffee but not so much that its spoiled the atmosphere. The drop off side heading down towards Phrae was the busier, more villages, lots of farming and pick-ups going up and down to town. A lovely ride for an old man out on his bike at a speed where he could take it all in.
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Back at valley level I took the 1217 south, away from the highway, and up into what I now think of as 'corn country'. A right turn onto the 1342 saw me on a short piece of road I'd ridden just 2 weeks ago and then I made a special effort not to miss the left turn onto the 1024 that I had missed on that occasion. This road soon showed all the signs of a road hardly anyone uses and you wonder quite why so much was spent on a project serving nothing more than a few small hilltribe villages. In some parts the road was brand new and efforts had been made to burn the leaf litter off the sides revealing the lovely work that had been done.
At the highest peak on the route there was a lone effort to house tourists who want isolation and silence and at this point I wondered why they had bothered but all became clear later.
Coming off the hill and travelling west towards Phrae it became obvious that modern civilisation was creeping up the valley from town with a few resorts, some cafes and some high priced private residencies, all hopefully leading to tourists making more effort to escape the crowds and driving further up the mountain. Here it wasn't a brand new piece of bitumen with newly drawn yellow lines and smooth surface so I assume this is the original road and they have extended it over the mountains and connected a couple of villages. It was a lovely ride down, some heavy forest on the slopes and a slow ride back to the modern world with all its noise and pollution. And I was right in that I was in Phrae just before 12.00, so a 5 hour excursion at my slow speeds and with plenty of stops for pictures. A great half day.
With great surprise I was given a 6.30 breakfast so was on my way by 7.00 for what I guessed would be a full morning of riding, and for once I got it right. With almost no morning traffic the route south out of Nan was quiet and quick, the left turn off the 101 at Wiang Sa being obvious but the right just after on the 1026 to Na Noi was poorly marked as seems common in Nan province. For the first 15 minutes I could hardly believe my eyes, the 1026 to a little known town being wider and better furnished than many Chiang Mai highways, with 4 wide lanes, rows of street lights and a middle strip painted in yellow chevrons. Why didn't I take a picture?
The road did finally turn into something more like a country lane but it had a great surface and almost no other vehicles to ruin your day. Once in Na Noi it was obvious I needed a right turn but once again I failed to see a sign pointing out the 1216 and resorted to google maps on the telephone to be sure I wasn't off into the bush. It started quietly, a typical small road in the country, farms, lots of rubber plantation, a small lake, and more or less flat. At one village the road surface complete with yellow lines went straight ahead leaving me passing the left turn that finally turned out to be the road I wanted which I think did have a sign to Khun Sathan National Park which I was unaware of being on my route. I'll come back to that later. The climb started slowly and thankfully the morning mist was clearing and the sun starting to shine bright. It was a while before I realised that this was a very high mountain pass, some big terraced cuttings having been made to facilitate the road which so far had very few signs of habitation on it. And then I was at the top with just a few other Thai tourists. Stunning.
Taking in the views I couldn't for the life of me work out how a place like this had managed to stay off my radar for so long. Am I alone in never hearing of this gem or has it only recently hit the tourist lists? If Phu Chi Fa and Doi Chang can get the big crowds how did anyone manage to keep this place a secret? At present there is just enough development to accommodate a few passing SUV's, enough restaurants to get a meal and places to get a coffee but not so much that its spoiled the atmosphere. The drop off side heading down towards Phrae was the busier, more villages, lots of farming and pick-ups going up and down to town. A lovely ride for an old man out on his bike at a speed where he could take it all in.
.
Back at valley level I took the 1217 south, away from the highway, and up into what I now think of as 'corn country'. A right turn onto the 1342 saw me on a short piece of road I'd ridden just 2 weeks ago and then I made a special effort not to miss the left turn onto the 1024 that I had missed on that occasion. This road soon showed all the signs of a road hardly anyone uses and you wonder quite why so much was spent on a project serving nothing more than a few small hilltribe villages. In some parts the road was brand new and efforts had been made to burn the leaf litter off the sides revealing the lovely work that had been done.
At the highest peak on the route there was a lone effort to house tourists who want isolation and silence and at this point I wondered why they had bothered but all became clear later.
Coming off the hill and travelling west towards Phrae it became obvious that modern civilisation was creeping up the valley from town with a few resorts, some cafes and some high priced private residencies, all hopefully leading to tourists making more effort to escape the crowds and driving further up the mountain. Here it wasn't a brand new piece of bitumen with newly drawn yellow lines and smooth surface so I assume this is the original road and they have extended it over the mountains and connected a couple of villages. It was a lovely ride down, some heavy forest on the slopes and a slow ride back to the modern world with all its noise and pollution. And I was right in that I was in Phrae just before 12.00, so a 5 hour excursion at my slow speeds and with plenty of stops for pictures. A great half day.
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