Why this ride
200 km from Haeje to Haeje, about 3 h 21 of riding. On the way it passes Piram-seowon, Koch'ang Dolmen Site and back through Piram-seowon.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
200 km from Haeje to Haeje, about 3 h 21 of riding. On the way it passes Piram-seowon, Koch'ang Dolmen Site and back through Piram-seowon.
The southwest coast of Korea is a maze of bays, peninsulas and islands, and when the tide goes out, it reveals immense mudflats, the getbol, stretching to the horizon. Hamhae Bay, in Muan county, is one of the finest examples, a sheltered bay where the tides deposit fine mud rich in nutrients, supporting an extraordinary variety of life: crabs, shellfish, worms, mudskippers and octopus, and the birds that feed on them. The Korean tidal flats were listed by UNESCO in 2021, recognising their importance for migratory birds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, including endangered species like the spoon-billed sandpiper and the black-faced spoonbill.
Read the complete Muan Hamhaeman Getbol write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Muan Hamhaeman Getbol is where the day begins. Next is Piram-seowon.
Piram-seowon sits on flat land among rice fields in Jangseong county, in South Jeolla province, its gates opening onto a courtyard with wooden pavilions and a shrine. It was founded in the late sixteenth century to honour Kim In-hu, a Neo-Confucian scholar from the region known for his integrity and his poetry, and it is one of the nine academies inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2019 as Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies. Unlike many seowon, which were closed by the government in the nineteenth century, Piram survived, and rituals are still held there.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Piram-seowon comes up 41 km in. Next is 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
82 km in you reach Koch'ang Dolmen Site. Next is back through Piram-seowon.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Piram-seowon, late in the day. Next is Muan Hamhaeman Getbol.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Muan Hamhaeman Getbol write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Muan Hamhaeman Getbol. That is the ride.
Muan Hamhaeman Getbol → Piram-seowon is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Piram-seowon → Koch'ang Dolmen Site is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Koch'ang Dolmen Site → back through Piram-seowon is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Piram-seowon → Muan Hamhaeman Getbol is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.