Why this ride
From Guri-si it runs 277 km to Guri-si; allow about 4 h 13 of riding. The stops in between: Yungneung Cluster, Yeongneung Cluster and back through Yungneung Cluster. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Donggureung Cluster and Yeongneung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 277 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 13
- 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 Yungneung Cluster.
2. Yungneung Cluster
Yungneung belongs to a tradition that most visitors to Korea never see: the royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty, forty of them scattered across the country and listed by UNESCO in 2009. This cluster lies south of Seoul near Hwaseong, a short way from Suwon, and it holds the tomb of Crown Prince Sado and, nearby, that of his son, King Jeongjo. Sado is the tragic figure of the dynasty. In 1762 his father, King Yeongjo, had him sealed inside a rice chest, where he died after eight days, after years of tension at court.
Read the complete Yungneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Yungneung Cluster comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yeongneung Cluster.
3. Yeongneung Cluster
The Yeongneung cluster lies in the countryside of Yeoju, a town on the Namhan River east of Seoul, and it is the resting place of King Sejong the Great, who reigned from 1418 to 1450 and is remembered above all for the creation of the Korean alphabet, hangul, announced in the 1440s. Koreans hold the king in deep affection, and a statue of him sits in the middle of Seoul. His tomb here is a joint one, shared with his queen, and it sits in a beautiful pine-covered setting with stone officials, horses and lanterns lined along the approach. The nearby tomb of King Hyojong, known as Nyeongneung, is part of the same area.
Read the complete Yeongneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 134 km into the recorded legs you reach Yeongneung Cluster. Next is back through Yungneung Cluster.
4. back through Yungneung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Yungneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Yungneung Cluster, late in the day. Next is Donggureung Cluster.
5. 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
Back at Donggureung Cluster. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Donggureung Cluster to Yungneung Cluster
Donggureung Cluster → Yungneung Cluster is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yungneung Cluster to Yeongneung Cluster
Yungneung Cluster → Yeongneung Cluster is 66 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Yeongneung Cluster to back through Yungneung Cluster
Yeongneung Cluster → back through Yungneung Cluster is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Yungneung Cluster to Donggureung Cluster
back through Yungneung Cluster → Donggureung Cluster is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.