Why this ride
99 km from Namyangju to Namyangju, about 2 h 21 of riding. The stops in between: Gwangneung Cluster\t, Olleung Cluster and back through Gwangneung Cluster\t. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hongyureung Cluster and Olleung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 99 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 21
- 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 Gwangneung Cluster\t.
2. Gwangneung Cluster\t
Gwangneung is the tomb of King Sejo of Joseon and his queen, Jeonghui, and it sits inside one of the best-preserved forests in Korea, north-east of Seoul between Namyangju and Pocheon. Sejo seized the throne in 1455 from his young nephew Danjong, who was later exiled and killed, and he spent much of his reign strengthening royal power. In death, though, he asked for modesty: he ordered that his tomb be built without the usual stone burial chamber and without some of the stone ornaments, to save the people labour and expense. The two mounds lie on separate ridges, with a shrine between them.
Read the complete Gwangneung Cluster\t write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gwangneung Cluster\t comes up about 23 km into the recorded legs. Next is Olleung Cluster.
3. 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
about 50 km into the recorded legs you reach Olleung Cluster. Next is back through Gwangneung Cluster\t.
4. back through Gwangneung Cluster\t
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gwangneung Cluster\t write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gwangneung Cluster\t, late in the day. Next is Hongyureung Cluster.
5. 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
Back at Hongyureung Cluster. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Hongyureung Cluster to Gwangneung Cluster\t
Hongyureung Cluster → Gwangneung Cluster\t is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gwangneung Cluster\t to Olleung Cluster
Gwangneung Cluster\t → Olleung Cluster is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Olleung Cluster to back through Gwangneung Cluster\t
Olleung Cluster → back through Gwangneung Cluster\t is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gwangneung Cluster\t to Hongyureung Cluster
back through Gwangneung Cluster\t → Hongyureung Cluster is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.