Why this ride
A 78 km round trip from Seoul - roughly 1 h 36 in the saddle. The stops in between: Donggureung Cluster, Gwangneung Cluster\t and back through Donggureung Cluster. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Jongmyo Shrine and Gwangneung Cluster\t
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 78 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 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. Jongmyo Shrine
In the middle of busy central Seoul, behind a gate on Jongno street, lies a forest of trees and a long, low hall that seems to come from another world. Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine of the Joseon dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910, and its main hall, the Jeongjeon, houses the spirit tablets of kings and queens in a row of identical rooms behind a single facade of red pillars, stretching for more than a hundred metres. It is one of the longest wooden buildings of its kind in Asia, and its austerity is deeply impressive.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jongmyo Shrine is where the day begins. Next is Donggureung Cluster.
2. Donggureung Cluster
Nine kings and ten queens of the Joseon dynasty lie at Donggureung, in the city of Guri, just north-east of Seoul. The name means the Eastern Nine Tombs, and it is the largest royal burial ground of the dynasty, which ruled Korea for over five centuries from 1392 to 1910. The tombs are spread across a wooded hillside, each a grassy mound surrounded by stone figures of officials and animals, set according to the rules of geomancy with a mountain behind and water in front.
Read the complete Donggureung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Donggureung Cluster comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gwangneung Cluster\t.
3. 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
about 38 km into the recorded legs you reach Gwangneung Cluster\t. Next is back through Donggureung Cluster.
4. back through Donggureung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Donggureung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Donggureung Cluster, late in the day. Next is Jongmyo Shrine.
5. Jongmyo Shrine
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jongmyo Shrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Jongmyo Shrine. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Jongmyo Shrine to Donggureung Cluster
Jongmyo Shrine → Donggureung Cluster is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Donggureung Cluster to Gwangneung Cluster\t
Donggureung Cluster → Gwangneung Cluster\t is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gwangneung Cluster\t to back through Donggureung Cluster
Gwangneung Cluster\t → back through Donggureung Cluster is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Donggureung Cluster to Jongmyo Shrine
back through Donggureung Cluster → Jongmyo Shrine is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.