Why this ride
108 km from Koch'ang to Koch'ang, about 2 h 04 of riding. It goes by way of Gochang Getbol, Getbol and back through Gochang Getbol.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Koch'ang Dolmen Site and Getbol
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 108 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 04
- 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. Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Korea has a remarkable concentration of the world's dolmens, and Gochang, on the southwest coast, has the largest cluster of all. Hundreds of these megalithic tombs are scattered along the foot of a range of low hills, some standing like tables on stone legs, others with a massive capstone resting almost directly on the ground. They were built during the Bronze Age by the people who farmed these lands, as tombs for the elite or as markers of territory and ritual. Together with the dolmen sites at Hwasun and on Ganghwa Island, they were listed by UNESCO in 2000.
Read the complete Koch'ang Dolmen Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Koch'ang Dolmen Site is where the day begins. Next is Gochang Getbol.
2. Gochang Getbol
At low tide on the coast of Gochang, the sea pulls back so far that it seems to disappear, leaving a vast plain of mud, sand and shell banks glistening in the light. These tidal flats, called getbol in Korean, are among the richest on earth, teeming with crabs, shellfish, worms and the birds that feed on them, including rare migrating shorebirds that stop here on their journeys between Siberia and Australia. Gochang's flats are part of the Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats, listed by UNESCO in 2021.
Read the complete Gochang Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gochang Getbol comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Getbol.
3. Getbol
On Korea's west coast the sea goes out a very long way. The Yellow Sea has big tides, and when they drop they expose huge plains of mud, the getbol, glistening and grey and full of life. The Korean tidal flats were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2021, covering stretches from Seocheon in the north to Gochang, Shinan and Boseong-Suncheon in the south, and they are among the most important feeding grounds on Earth for migratory shorebirds travelling between Siberia and Australia. Crabs, mudskippers, worms and shellfish swarm in the mud, and people have harvested them for centuries.
Read the complete Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Getbol. Next is back through Gochang Getbol.
4. back through Gochang Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gochang Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gochang Getbol, late in the day. Next is Koch'ang Dolmen Site.
5. Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Koch'ang Dolmen Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Koch'ang Dolmen Site. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Koch'ang Dolmen Site to Gochang Getbol
Koch'ang Dolmen Site → Gochang Getbol is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gochang Getbol to Getbol
Gochang Getbol → Getbol is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Getbol to back through Gochang Getbol
Getbol → back through Gochang Getbol is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gochang Getbol to Koch'ang Dolmen Site
back through Gochang Getbol → Koch'ang Dolmen Site is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.