Why this ride
From Changnyeong it runs 445 km to Changnyeong; allow about 7 h of riding. It goes by way of Jisan-dong Tumuli, Namgye-seowon, Seonamsa Temple and back through Namgye-seowon. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Seonamsa Temple
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 445 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 36
- 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 Jisan-dong Tumuli.
2. Jisan-dong Tumuli
Above the small county town of Goryeong, in south-eastern Korea, a line of grassy burial mounds runs along the ridge of Jusan mountain like the knuckles of a giant hand. These are the Jisan-dong tumuli, tombs of the rulers and elite of Daegaya, the most powerful member of the Gaya confederacy, a group of small kingdoms that flourished in the south of the peninsula until they were absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. The largest mounds are huge, and excavations found not only rich grave goods, iron weapons, armour, gold crowns and pottery, but also evidence that attendants were buried with their lords. Together with other Gaya tomb groups, the site was added to the World Heritage list in 2023.
Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jisan-dong Tumuli comes up about 43 km into the recorded legs. Next is Namgye-seowon.
3. Namgye-seowon
Hamyang is a quiet county in the mountains of South Gyeongsang, on the eastern edge of Jirisan, the great massif in the south of the Korean peninsula, and Namgye-seowon stands on a gentle slope a few kilometres from the county town. Founded in 1552 to honour the Neo-Confucian scholar Jeong Yeo-chang, it was one of the earliest private academies in Korea and served as a model for many others. Its layout set a pattern: the lecture hall at the front, dormitories on either side, and the shrine for the rites at the top of the slope, so that the buildings climb the hill in a hierarchy of importance. Unusually, the dormitories have small raised pavilions overlooking ponds, where students could rest and contemplate the landscape. Namgye is part of the UNESCO listing of the Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies.
Read the complete Namgye-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 107 km into the recorded legs you reach Namgye-seowon. Next is Seonamsa Temple.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Namgye-seowon.
5. back through Namgye-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Namgye-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Namgye-seowon sits at 271 km, about halfway. Next is back through Jisan-dong Tumuli.
6. back through Jisan-dong Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli comes up about 403 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
7. 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
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli closes the day.
Leg by leg
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to Jisan-dong Tumuli
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → Jisan-dong Tumuli is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jisan-dong Tumuli to Namgye-seowon
Jisan-dong Tumuli → Namgye-seowon is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Namgye-seowon to Seonamsa Temple
Namgye-seowon → Seonamsa Temple is 116 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Seonamsa Temple to back through Namgye-seowon
Seonamsa Temple → back through Namgye-seowon is 115 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Namgye-seowon to back through Jisan-dong Tumuli
back through Namgye-seowon → back through Jisan-dong Tumuli is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli to Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli → Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.