Why this ride
From Andong it runs 273 km to Andong; allow about 5 h 43 of riding. On the way it passes Dosan-seowon, Sosu-seowon, Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty and back through Sosu-seowon. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Bongjeongsa Temple and Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 273 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 43
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bongjeongsa Temple
Tucked into the wooded slopes of Cheondeungsan, a modest mountain north-west of Andong in North Gyeongsang province, Bongjeongsa is a temple that wears its age quietly. Its main claim to fame is a small, plain hall called Geungnakjeon, believed to be the oldest surviving wooden building in Korea, dating back to the Goryeo dynasty. Repairs in the twentieth century turned up records suggesting the hall had been rebuilt in the thirteenth century, which makes it older than almost anything else made of timber in the country. Bongjeongsa is one of seven mountain monasteries inscribed by UNESCO in 2018 as Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.
Read the complete Bongjeongsa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bongjeongsa Temple is where the day begins. Next is Dosan-seowon.
2. Dosan-seowon
If you have handled a Korean thousand-won note, you have already seen Dosan Seowon. The building on the back of the note is this Confucian academy, and the scholar on the front is Yi Hwang, known by his pen name Toegye, one of the most influential Neo-Confucian thinkers of Korea. He set up a small study hall here in the sixteenth century, on a quiet slope above the Nakdong river, and after his death in 1570 his disciples expanded it into a full academy, a seowon, where students came to study the classics and honour his memory. It is one of the nine Korean Confucian academies listed by UNESCO in 2019.
Read the complete Dosan-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Dosan-seowon comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sosu-seowon.
3. Sosu-seowon
Pine trees older than anyone can remember shade the entrance to Sosu-seowon, the first Confucian academy in Korea to receive a royal charter. It was founded in 1543 by Ju Se-bung, a local magistrate, to honour An Hyang, a scholar of the Goryeo period who brought Neo-Confucianism to Korea from China. A few years later, the famous philosopher Yi Hwang, who also served in the area, petitioned the king to grant it official recognition, and the academy received a royal plaque in 1550 with the name Sosu. Since 2019 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies.
Read the complete Sosu-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 82 km into the recorded legs you reach Sosu-seowon. Next is Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.
4. Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
In the mountains of Gangwon Province, the town of Yeongwol sits where two rivers meet among steep forested ridges, and at the edge of it, in a stand of pines, lies Jangneung, the tomb of Danjong. Danjong became king as a boy of eleven in 1452. His uncle Sejo seized the throne a few years later, and the young king was exiled to Yeongwol, a remote and isolated place chosen for that reason, and died there in 1457, still a teenager. The tomb is a simple grassy mound that is part of the UNESCO group of Joseon royal burials, and it lies far from the other royal tombs, which cluster around Seoul.
Read the complete Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, about halfway. Next is back through Sosu-seowon.
5. back through Sosu-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sosu-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Sosu-seowon sits at 149 km, about halfway. Next is back through Dosan-seowon.
6. back through Dosan-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dosan-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Dosan-seowon comes up about 243 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bongjeongsa Temple.
7. Bongjeongsa Temple
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bongjeongsa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bongjeongsa Temple closes the day.
Leg by leg
Bongjeongsa Temple to Dosan-seowon
Bongjeongsa Temple → Dosan-seowon is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dosan-seowon to Sosu-seowon
Dosan-seowon → Sosu-seowon is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sosu-seowon to Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty
Sosu-seowon → Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty to back through Sosu-seowon
Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty → back through Sosu-seowon is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Sosu-seowon to back through Dosan-seowon
back through Sosu-seowon → back through Dosan-seowon is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Dosan-seowon to Bongjeongsa Temple
back through Dosan-seowon → Bongjeongsa Temple is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.