Why this ride
From Namyangju it runs 164 km to Namyangju; allow about 3 h 30 of riding. It goes by way of Jeongneung Cluster, Pajusamreung Cluster, Jangneung Cluster and back through Pajusamreung Cluster. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hongyureung Cluster and Jangneung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 164 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 30
- 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. Hongyureung Cluster
The Joseon dynasty lasted from 1392 until 1910, and its kings and queens were laid to rest in a scattering of forested tombs around Seoul, forty of which are on the World Heritage list. Hongyureung is the name for two of them close to Namyangju, Hongneung and Yureung, which belong to the last two rulers of Korea. Hongneung is the resting place of Gojong, who proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897 and died in 1919, in mysterious circumstances, just before the great independence uprising of that year. Yureung holds his son Sunjong, the last emperor, who lost his throne when Japan annexed Korea.
Read the complete Hongyureung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hongyureung Cluster is where the day begins. Next is Jeongneung Cluster.
2. Jeongneung Cluster
Jeongneung is a royal tomb in the middle of Seoul, in the wooded hills of Seongbuk district just north of the old city, and it carries one of the more spiteful stories of the early Joseon court. It belongs to Queen Sindeok, the second wife of the dynasty's founder, King Taejo. Her son was named crown prince ahead of Taejo's older sons by his first wife, and one of those older sons, Yi Bang-won, struck back violently, killing his half-brothers and eventually taking the throne as King Taejong.
Read the complete Jeongneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jeongneung Cluster comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pajusamreung Cluster.
3. Pajusamreung Cluster
Close to the most heavily fortified border in the world, three royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty lie in a quiet pine forest in Paju, north of Seoul. Pajusamreung, the three tombs of Paju, include the resting places of Queen Jangsun and Queen Gonghye, both married to kings and both of whom died young, and of King Jinjong, honoured after his early death. Like all the Joseon royal tombs, they follow a precise layout of spirit gates, stone paths, shrines and grass mounds guarded by stone officials and animals, and they are part of the World Heritage listing of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.
Read the complete Pajusamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 51 km into the recorded legs you reach Pajusamreung Cluster. Next is Jangneung Cluster.
4. Jangneung Cluster
The Joseon dynasty ruled Korea for over five hundred years, and its kings and queens were buried in carefully chosen spots around the capital, in tombs designed according to Confucian ritual and the principles of geomancy, with a hill behind, water in front and mountains framing the view. In 2009, forty of these tombs were listed by UNESCO as the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Jangneung, in Gimpo, just west of Seoul, is the tomb of Wonjong, the father of King Injo, who was elevated to royal rank after his death. It is a quiet, wooded place, with a grassy burial mound, stone statues of officials and animals, and a T-shaped shrine where ancestral rites were held.
Read the complete Jangneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jangneung Cluster, about halfway. Next is back through Pajusamreung Cluster.
5. back through Pajusamreung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pajusamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pajusamreung Cluster sits at 106 km, about halfway. Next is back through Jeongneung Cluster.
6. back through Jeongneung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jeongneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jeongneung Cluster comes up about 142 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hongyureung Cluster.
7. Hongyureung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hongyureung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hongyureung Cluster closes the day.
Leg by leg
Hongyureung Cluster to Jeongneung Cluster
Hongyureung Cluster → Jeongneung Cluster is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jeongneung Cluster to Pajusamreung Cluster
Jeongneung Cluster → Pajusamreung Cluster is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pajusamreung Cluster to Jangneung Cluster
Pajusamreung Cluster → Jangneung Cluster is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jangneung Cluster to back through Pajusamreung Cluster
Jangneung Cluster → back through Pajusamreung Cluster is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pajusamreung Cluster to back through Jeongneung Cluster
back through Pajusamreung Cluster → back through Jeongneung Cluster is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jeongneung Cluster to Hongyureung Cluster
back through Jeongneung Cluster → Hongyureung Cluster is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.