Why this ride
A 458 km round trip from Yeosu - roughly 8 h 19 in the saddle. It goes by way of Seonamsa Temple, Gochang, Piram-seowon and Gochang Getbol. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol and Gochang Getbol
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 458 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 19
- 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. Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
Korea's southern coast is a place where land and sea cannot decide who owns what. The tides here rise and fall by several metres, leaving wide mud flats, called getbol, that glitter in low light and fill with life. The Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats, were added to the UNESCO list in 2021 because they are a feeding ground for migratory birds travelling along the East Asian flyway, including rare ones such as the black-faced spoonbill. Boseong, Suncheon, Yeosu and Goheung are the four stretches here, strung along a coast of bays, islands and reed beds.
Read the complete Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol is where the day begins. Next is Seonamsa Temple.
2. Seonamsa Temple
An old stone bridge arches over a stream in the forest on the way up to Seonamsa, and the view through its curve to a pavilion beyond is one of the best known images of Korean temple architecture. The Seungseongyo bridge dates back to the Joseon period, and the temple behind it, on the slopes of Jogyesan mountain near Suncheon, has a history going back to the ninth century. Seonamsa is one of seven Korean Buddhist mountain monasteries listed in 2018 as Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea, chosen because they have remained centres of living religious practice for over a thousand years.
Read the complete Seonamsa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Seonamsa Temple comes up about 47 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gochang.
3. Gochang
Ancient Korea built more dolmens than anywhere else on earth. These megalithic tombs, a huge capstone resting on smaller upright stones, were raised by Bronze Age communities some three thousand years ago, and the clusters at Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa were listed together as a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Read the complete Gochang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 116 km into the recorded legs you reach Gochang. Next is Piram-seowon.
4. Piram-seowon
Piram-seowon sits on flat land among rice fields in Jangseong county, in South Jeolla province, its gates opening onto a courtyard with wooden pavilions and a shrine. It was founded in the late sixteenth century to honour Kim In-hu, a Neo-Confucian scholar from the region known for his integrity and his poetry, and it is one of the nine academies inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2019 as Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies. Unlike many seowon, which were closed by the government in the nineteenth century, Piram survived, and rituals are still held there.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Piram-seowon, about halfway. Next is Gochang Getbol.
5. Gochang Getbol
At low tide on the coast of Gochang, the sea pulls back so far that it seems to disappear, leaving a vast plain of mud, sand and shell banks glistening in the light. These tidal flats, called getbol in Korean, are among the richest on earth, teeming with crabs, shellfish, worms and the birds that feed on them, including rare migrating shorebirds that stop here on their journeys between Siberia and Australia. Gochang's flats are part of the Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats, listed by UNESCO in 2021.
Read the complete Gochang Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gochang Getbol sits at 192 km, about halfway. Next is back through Piram-seowon.
6. back through Piram-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Piram-seowon comes up about 278 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Gochang.
7. back through Gochang
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gochang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 341 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Gochang. Next is back through Seonamsa Temple.
8. back through Seonamsa Temple
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seonamsa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Seonamsa Temple, late in the day. Next is Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol.
9. Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 458 km.
Leg by leg
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol to Seonamsa Temple
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol → Seonamsa Temple is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seonamsa Temple to Gochang
Seonamsa Temple → Gochang is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gochang to Piram-seowon
Gochang → Piram-seowon is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Piram-seowon to Gochang Getbol
Piram-seowon → Gochang Getbol is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gochang Getbol to back through Piram-seowon
Gochang Getbol → back through Piram-seowon is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Piram-seowon to back through Gochang
back through Piram-seowon → back through Gochang is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gochang to back through Seonamsa Temple
back through Gochang → back through Seonamsa Temple is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Seonamsa Temple to Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
back through Seonamsa Temple → Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.