Why this ride
From Changnyeong it runs 145 km to Changnyeong; allow about 2 h 44 of riding. On the way it passes Okjeon Tumuli, Dodong-seowon and back through Okjeon Tumuli.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Dodong-seowon
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 145 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 44
- 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. Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
The rounded grassy mounds rising behind Changnyeong look almost like natural hills until you notice how regular they are. These are the Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong tumuli, burial mounds of the rulers of Bihwa, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between roughly the first and sixth centuries before being absorbed by Silla. In 2023 they became part of a UNESCO listing that brings together seven Gaya tomb clusters, and they are among the most atmospheric of the group.
Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is where the day begins. Next is Okjeon Tumuli.
2. Okjeon Tumuli
On a ridge above the Hwang river in Hapcheon County, a row of grassy mounds rises against the sky, each one the burial of a ruler or noble of Dara, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between the first and sixth centuries. Gaya was famous for its iron, traded across the region and to Japan, and its tombs held armour, weapons, horse gear, pottery and gold ornaments. The Okjeon tumuli are one of seven groups listed together by UNESCO in 2023 as the Gaya Tumuli.
Read the complete Okjeon Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Okjeon Tumuli comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dodong-seowon.
3. Dodong-seowon
The ginkgo tree in front of Dodong-seowon is over four hundred years old, a massive trunk with branches spreading wide, and in early November it turns a brilliant yellow and sheds its leaves into a golden carpet that photographers come from all over Korea to see. Behind it, the academy itself climbs a gentle slope in a series of courtyards and wooden halls, with a view over the Nakdong river. Dodong-seowon was founded in the sixteenth century to honour Kim Goeng-pil, a Neo-Confucian scholar executed in a political purge, and it is one of the nine Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2019.
Read the complete Dodong-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 81 km into the recorded legs you reach Dodong-seowon. Next is back through Okjeon Tumuli.
4. back through Okjeon Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Okjeon Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Okjeon Tumuli, late in the day. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
5. Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to Okjeon Tumuli
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → Okjeon Tumuli is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Okjeon Tumuli to Dodong-seowon
Okjeon Tumuli → Dodong-seowon is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dodong-seowon to back through Okjeon Tumuli
Dodong-seowon → back through Okjeon Tumuli is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Okjeon Tumuli to Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
back through Okjeon Tumuli → Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.