Why this ride
From Guri-si it runs 144 km to Guri-si; allow about 2 h 57 of riding. It goes by way of Jongmyo Shrine, Heolleung Cluster, Seosamreung Cluster and back through Jongmyo Shrine.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Donggureung Cluster and Seosamreung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 144 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 57
- 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. Donggureung Cluster
Nine kings and ten queens of the Joseon dynasty lie at Donggureung, in the city of Guri, just north-east of Seoul. The name means the Eastern Nine Tombs, and it is the largest royal burial ground of the dynasty, which ruled Korea for over five centuries from 1392 to 1910. The tombs are spread across a wooded hillside, each a grassy mound surrounded by stone figures of officials and animals, set according to the rules of geomancy with a mountain behind and water in front.
Read the complete Donggureung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Donggureung Cluster is where the day begins. Next is Jongmyo Shrine.
2. Jongmyo Shrine
In the middle of busy central Seoul, behind a gate on Jongno street, lies a forest of trees and a long, low hall that seems to come from another world. Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine of the Joseon dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910, and its main hall, the Jeongjeon, houses the spirit tablets of kings and queens in a row of identical rooms behind a single facade of red pillars, stretching for more than a hundred metres. It is one of the longest wooden buildings of its kind in Asia, and its austerity is deeply impressive.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jongmyo Shrine comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Heolleung Cluster.
3. Heolleung Cluster
In the south of Seoul, wedged between highways, apartment towers and the Daemosan hills, a forest of oak and pine hides two royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty. Heolleung is the tomb of King Taejong, the third king of Joseon, who ruled in the early fifteenth century, and his queen Wongyeong, and nearby lies Inneung, the tomb of King Sunjo and his queen from the nineteenth century. Together they form one of the clusters of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, listed by UNESCO in 2009.
Read the complete Heolleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 35 km into the recorded legs you reach Heolleung Cluster.
4. Jongmyo Shrine
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jongmyo Shrine, about halfway. Next is Seosamreung Cluster.
5. Seosamreung Cluster
The kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty, who ruled Korea for more than five hundred years until 1910, chose their graves with enormous care. Geomancers studied hills, water and wind to find sites with the right energy, and the royal tombs were laid out with burial mounds, stone guardians, ceremonial halls and long processional paths. Forty of these tombs are listed together by UNESCO as the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, and Seosamreung, the three western tombs in Goyang just north-west of Seoul, is one of the clusters.
Read the complete Seosamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Seosamreung Cluster sits at 77 km, about halfway. Next is back through Jongmyo Shrine.
6. back through Jongmyo Shrine
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jongmyo Shrine comes up about 92 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Heolleung Cluster.
7. back through Heolleung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Heolleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 110 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Heolleung Cluster.
8. back through Jongmyo Shrine
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jongmyo Shrine, late in the day. Next is Donggureung Cluster.
9. Donggureung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Donggureung Cluster 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 144 km.
Leg by leg
Donggureung Cluster to Jongmyo Shrine
Donggureung Cluster → Jongmyo Shrine is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jongmyo Shrine to Heolleung Cluster
Jongmyo Shrine → Heolleung Cluster is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Heolleung Cluster to Jongmyo Shrine
Heolleung Cluster → Jongmyo Shrine is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jongmyo Shrine to Seosamreung Cluster
Jongmyo Shrine → Seosamreung Cluster is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seosamreung Cluster to back through Jongmyo Shrine
Seosamreung Cluster → back through Jongmyo Shrine is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jongmyo Shrine to back through Heolleung Cluster
back through Jongmyo Shrine → back through Heolleung Cluster is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Heolleung Cluster to back through Jongmyo Shrine
back through Heolleung Cluster → back through Jongmyo Shrine is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jongmyo Shrine to Donggureung Cluster
back through Jongmyo Shrine → Donggureung Cluster is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.