Author Cat Thomas
Photographer Cat Thomas
Hsinchu County(新竹） has been busy extending its YouBike public bicycle sharing scheme, including EBikes, which is not only great news for getting around local towns but also opens up some lovely options for riverside bike trails for visitors.
It’s now possible to ride all the way from the Hakka market town of Zhudong(竹東), at the foothills of the Wufeng mountains（吳鳳山）, out to the coastal village of Nanliao（南寮）, just past Hsinchu city (around 25KM), or various shorter options all using public bikes. The paths take you through a range of scenery, from riverside park activity areas to rice paddies and wooded areas.
Many of the options don’t have much in the way of shade or shops. So wear sunscreen and carry water. If you are arriving by HSR there’s a large YouBike dock by Zhubei（竹北） HSR station. Head straight down Gaotie 5th road to the riverside paths, or transfer to the regular train to start from Zhudong（竹東）, Ronghua(榮華), or Shangyuan(上員) Station.
Zhudong Riverside Park 竹東生態河濱公園(11.6KM)
Zhudong has a lovely riverside park and it’s perfectly possible to enjoy a variety of scenery just by biking around the ecological park itself. Grab a bike at Zhudong train station and head down the road to the right of the train station, cross the tracks, continue to the main road. Cross the road and access the bike paths by entering up the ramp to the car park. If you head towards the right of the car park, you’ll find the entrance to the ecological park. The smooth wide paths here are a cinch to ride along, although do note that you will be sharing them with pedestrians (who have right of way) but the width of the paths makes this easy to navigate.
This route doesn’t include a view of the river, but you will see lots of foliage and sections where citizens are busy gardening little sections of the open areas to plant flowers and flowering bushes. There are lots of footpaths that split off from the main trail, but these are a little narrower so if you take them, you’ll need to be more aware of pedestrians. You can continue past the second car park at the end of the trail to do another small loop in a less landscaped area, then return along the original path and turn left to make a loop.
If you head to the bottom of the opposite side of the car park you’ll find a single lane path that takes you through Heping Park past various public sports and activity areas (including a croquet area!) and gives you views of the river. As this path is narrower, you’ll need to pay attention to pedestrians. However, the views along the river and to the surrounding mountains make it a pleasing ride. After you pass under the bridge the landscape changes to restored Hakka buildings and reconstructed wetlands. If you head to the right then there are some extremely pretty lakes with pleasing reflections of the foliage. This ends at a viewing platform so you’ll need return along the path and then go straight up to car park. If you want to loop back to Zhudong station you can head left at the car park onto the wider path which has a lovely forest feel to it for one section.
However, if you want to drop your bike off at Ronghua station you can go right over the wooden bridge and cycle down the path until you reach the B-road. Go left up the small hill to hit the town/station and turn right and follow the main road to reach the Ronghua station.
If you want to carry on to the Touqiang Riverside path you can turn right down the very quiet B-road.
Zhudong to Zhubei: Touqiang Riverside South Path (9.7KM) (or to Nanliao, 21.5KM)竹東到竹北：頭前河濱南路
You can either enter from behind Ronghua station, or from the Zhudong riverside park as above. Do note though that the section between Zhudong and Zhubei involves some brief sections on the roads, and some rather imaginative bike paths sliced between farmland and the expressway, although entirely enclosed.
It’s also possible to take the local train to Shangyuan station and grab a YouBike there to get straight into the prettier parts of the bike path such as rice paddies and vegetable plots. There are a few gentle slopes along the way, but nothing too onerous (5.5 km).
There is some signage (mainly in Chinese) but the route is pretty simple, and side paths generally loop back to the main path.
Zhudong to Zhubei: Qionglin Path 竹東到竹北：芎林(10.3KM)
The simplest cycling route to Zhubei is along a quiet road running alongside the river valley. While you won’t be able to see the river, it’s an enjoyable largely flat ride past rice paddies and farmhouses. There are occasional larger trucks running from the quarry, but for the most part, your main company will be an occasional scooter. You access the start of the road by crossing Zhulin Bridge(竹林橋） and turning right down the slip road and then right onto the biking road. There are some side paths, but it’s recommended to stick to the road all the way to the HSR depot as these are not well paved. Once you reach Zhubei, it’s probably a good time to take a break and have a snack/stock up on water before rejoining the route at the junction of Aikou 3rd Street（隘口三街）and Xinlong Road.
Zhubei to Nanliao Northbank route 竹北到南寮 (14.4KM)
From Zhubei you can ride down the righthand of the river valley and associated roadside cycle paths, fields and farmland. However, this path is less well maintained and sign-posted, so it’s only recommended if you don’t mind occasionally ending up at a dead end in a rice paddy. You need to switch onto the quiet lane that runs along the right side of the tributary to the Touqian river (Xinliao Street Lane 150) to make it down to the double bridge (Jiugang) that crosses over to the Nanliao area. The YouBike station under this bridge is closest to the village (about a 15-minute walk).
Touqiang Riverside South Path 頭前溪河濱公園(14.5KM)
If you want to cross to the left-hand path from Zhubei, then take the Xinlong Bridge(興隆橋) which has a dedicated bike path and offers a viewpoint down the valley. Despite what Google Maps may tell you, it isn’t possible to cross the river at Tofu Rocks by bike! These are a set of cubic tide breakers which it is possible to hop across by foot and is a popular photo spot (although how pretty they are really depends on how high the river is). It’s also a terrible idea to cross at Jingguo Bridge(經國橋) unless you enjoy biking through spaghetti junctions heading into car-only expressways and taking your life in your hands.
To get onto Xinlong bridge head down Aikou 3rd road, cross the main road, and take the ramp up to the bike path and go left. You will need to push your bike up a couple of short ramps on the stairs to access the bridge.
This riverside park is pretty enjoyable route and well maintained. There are a few gentle slopes and some sections have you briefly cycling under the freeway. The park areas are lovely though, and there are public toilets along the path.
Nanliao南寮
After all that cycling you’ll need some time to relax. Nanliao is a small fishing village and many people opt to pop into the fish market to enjoy some sashimi (raw fish；生魚片） and seafood. Another great option head to the old harbour area to the delightful Sea House Cafe a tiny pizzeria with excellent pizzas and BBQ, or Spanish restaurant Village Cafe for paella and tapas. There are also various small container style cafes and stalls, including fish and chips, though not all will be open on weekdays.
From Nanliao you can proceed along the 17 KM coastal bike path to discover beaches (not recommended for swimming) and coastal vegetation and wetlands. At the weekends this particular path can be quite crowded with rented carriage bikes (which are also great fun to be fair).
If you are all out of energy, then you can catch a local bus back to Hsinchu train station (BL15 from the harbour, 30 mins) and then transfer to the train to get back to Zhubei, or Zhudong. The Nanliao area is light on YouBike stations, so you’ll need to dock at Nanliao Swimming Pool or under Jiugang Bridge.
Or, of course, you can simply cycle back!
YouBike Side bar
YouBikes are charged in 30-minute increments. The eBikes are more expensive than the regular bikes at NT$20 during the first two hours then NT$40 thereafter (regular: NT$10 first 4 hours /NT$20 4-8 hours/ NT$ 40 8 hours+). Hsinchu County/City share the same scheme, meaning there’s no cross-city boundary charge, so you are free to swop out bikes along this route without incurring a boundary charge. The eBikes don’t charge at the docking station, but have batteries that are swopped out by the company, so don’t dock the bike and come back after lunch expecting it to have charged!
If you encounter a mechanical difficulty with your bike return it to the dock and reverse the seat so that the mechanics know to service it. By the same token, don’t try to rent a bike with a reversed seat. Check out the riding tips to learn about how to adjust seats and lock your bike temporarily away from the dock,
YouBike 2.0 claim that a fully charged eBike lasts for 80K on flat ground, so if you score a bike with a reasonable charge you should be able to comfortably make it to Nanliao from Zhudong. However, in my experience, around 30 mins of riding uses 10% of the charge. Handily, both regular and eBikes use the same docks. If the bike runs out of juice, it can still be used as a regular bike.
To take advantage of the free public insurance scheme, you need to sign up as a member, and register for the insurance through the app or the website (English available).
Make sure to download the app first so that you know where there are nearby bikes if you need to swap or simply want to take an extended break. Or check on the website.
