Why this ride
From Namyangju it runs 262 km to Namyangju; allow about 4 h 42 of riding. The stops in between: Olleung Cluster, Seosan Getbol, Kanghwa Dolmen Sites and back through Seosan Getbol. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hongyureung Cluster and Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 262 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 42
- 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 Olleung Cluster.
2. Olleung Cluster
Seoul's royal tombs are not all in the city centre, and the ones on this stretch lie in the green country just to the north-west, in a belt of forest, farmland and expanding suburbs that stretches towards the border. The cluster on our list is one of several groups of Joseon dynasty burial mounds, and the nearest sizeable town is Uijeongbu, nearly half a million people, with Goyang just beyond it.
Read the complete Olleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Olleung Cluster comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Seosan Getbol.
3. Seosan Getbol
Korea's west coast has some of the largest tides on earth. Twice a day the Yellow Sea pulls back for kilometres, exposing vast shining mud flats, the getbol, laced with channels and alive with crabs, mudskippers, worms and shellfish. UNESCO has listed a series of these Korean tidal flats for their extraordinary biodiversity and for the millions of migratory shorebirds that stop here to feed on their way between Siberia and Australia.
Read the complete Seosan Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 86 km into the recorded legs you reach Seosan Getbol. Next is Kanghwa Dolmen Sites.
4. Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Ganghwa Island lies in the mouth of the Han River, just north-west of Seoul and Incheon, and on a clear day you can look across a narrow channel of tidal water straight into North Korea. The town of Kaesong is barely twenty-five kilometres away. That closeness gives the island an edge, with watch posts and fences along parts of the shore, but its fame is much older. The Ganghwa dolmens, together with those at Gochang and Hwasun in the south, were listed by UNESCO in 2000, and Korea holds a remarkable share of all the dolmens known in the world.
Read the complete Kanghwa Dolmen Sites write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites, about halfway. Next is back through Seosan Getbol.
5. back through Seosan Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seosan Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Seosan Getbol sits at 174 km, about halfway. Next is back through Olleung Cluster.
6. back through Olleung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Olleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Olleung Cluster comes up about 230 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 Olleung Cluster
Hongyureung Cluster → Olleung Cluster is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Olleung Cluster to Seosan Getbol
Olleung Cluster → Seosan Getbol is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seosan Getbol to Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Seosan Getbol → Kanghwa Dolmen Sites is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites to back through Seosan Getbol
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites → back through Seosan Getbol is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Seosan Getbol to back through Olleung Cluster
back through Seosan Getbol → back through Olleung Cluster is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Olleung Cluster to Hongyureung Cluster
back through Olleung Cluster → Hongyureung Cluster is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.