CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
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.
303 km from Yonggang-ŭp to Yonggang-ŭp, about 4 h 19 of riding. On the way it passes Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group, Anak Tomb No. 1 and back through Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
The three tombs at Kangso stand in a quiet part of the countryside near the west coast of North Korea, not far from the Taedong River. They date from the Goguryeo kingdom, probably from the late fifth or early sixth century, and each is a grass-covered mound over a stone chamber. The Great Tomb is the best known, painted inside with a vivid picture of the Four Guardians: the Azure Dragon of the east, the White Tiger of the west, the Red Phoenix of the south and the Black Tortoise entwined with a snake of the north. The painted ceiling shows clouds, flying figures and mythical creatures. The group belongs to the Complex of Koguryo Tombs, which UNESCO listed in 2004.
Read the complete Kangso Three Tombs write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Kangso Three Tombs is where the day begins. Next is Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group.
This is one of the few places in a ride collection that you almost certainly cannot ride to on your own, and it is worth saying so plainly. The Tomb of King Tongmyong lies in North Korea, southeast of Pyongyang, and the country admits foreign visitors only on guided tours, with fixed itineraries, official guides and no independent driving, let alone motorcycling. Still, it is a remarkable place, and knowing about it adds a layer to understanding the Korean peninsula.
Read the complete Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Anak Tomb No. 1, 68 km on.
A few kilometres north of Anak Tomb No. 3, the same farming plain holds another Goguryeo burial, Anak Tomb No. 1, and the contrast between them is a nice example of how varied these graves can be. The Goguryeo kingdom, whose people built great mountain fortresses and left thousands of stone tombs across what is now North Korea and north-east China, painted the walls of its aristocratic graves with scenes from life, belief and the afterlife. Tomb No. 1 belongs to the same early group, with a chamber of dressed stone slabs and plastered walls, and it is part of the World Heritage listing of Koguryo tombs that dates from 2004.
Read the complete Anak Tomb No. 1 write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 151 km into the recorded legs you reach Anak Tomb No. 1. Next is back through Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group, late in the day. Next is Kangso Three Tombs.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kangso Three Tombs write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Kangso Three Tombs. That is the ride.
Kangso Three Tombs → Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group → Anak Tomb No. 1 is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Anak Tomb No. 1 → back through Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group is 88 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group → Kangso Three Tombs is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.