The name Buseoksa means temple of the floating stone, and the legend behind it involves a monk, a princess and a dragon. When the monk Uisang founded the temple in 676, after returning from studies in China, a young woman named Seonmyo who had fallen in love with him there is said to have followed him in the form of a dragon, and when local bandits opposed the new temple she lifted a huge rock into the air to frighten them off. A large boulder behind the main hall is still pointed out as the floating stone, and you will be told that a thread can be passed beneath it.
The main hall, the Muryangsujeon, is one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in Korea, dating from the Goryeo period, and its columns swell gently at the middle in the manner that architects call entasis. Standing on its terrace at sunset, with the ridges of the Sobaek mountains fading blue into the distance, is one of the great quiet moments of Korean travel. Buseoksa is one of the seven mountain monasteries inscribed together by UNESCO as the Sansa, Buddhist mountain monasteries of Korea, and it remains a working temple.
The approach road climbs from Yeongju through orchards: the area is famous for its apples, and in autumn the road is lined with stalls selling them, while the avenue of ginkgo trees leading up to the temple gates turns brilliant yellow. The roads in the Sobaek mountains are generally well surfaced, with some lovely twisting stretches and moderate traffic. One crucial detail: motorcycles are banned from Korean expressways, so you will be using national and local roads, which is no hardship here. Spring blossom and autumn colours are the peak seasons, and weekends bring crowds.
Yeongju, about twenty kilometres down the valley, is where you top up the tank and find a bed, while the lane below the temple gate has restaurants serving mountain vegetables and bibimbap. Nearby, the Sosuseowon Confucian academy and the old village of Seonbichon offer a glimpse of another side of Korean tradition. Wear comfortable shoes for the walk up the stone stairs, which are steep, and keep your voice down within the temple grounds.