Why this ride
A 307 km round trip from Chilbo - roughly 4 h 49 in the saddle. On the way it passes Getbol, Koch'ang Dolmen Site, Muan Hamhaeman Getbol and back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Museong-seowon and Muan Hamhaeman Getbol
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 307 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 49
- 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. Museong-seowon
Just outside Jeongeup, in a village of low houses and persimmon trees, stands Museong-seowon, a Confucian academy that has served its community for centuries. It honours Choe Chi-won, the great ninth-century scholar of the Silla kingdom who served as magistrate in this area and whose poems and essays made him one of Korea's most celebrated writers. Seowon were private academies where young men studied the Confucian classics and the memory of revered scholars was honoured with rites, and Museong is one of nine inscribed together by UNESCO in 2019.
Read the complete Museong-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Museong-seowon is where the day begins. Next is Getbol.
2. 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
Getbol comes up about 44 km into the recorded legs. Next is Koch'ang Dolmen Site.
3. 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
about 76 km into the recorded legs you reach Koch'ang Dolmen Site. Next is Muan Hamhaeman Getbol.
4. Muan Hamhaeman Getbol
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.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Muan Hamhaeman Getbol, about halfway. Next is back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site.
5. back through 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 through Koch'ang Dolmen Site sits at 182 km, about halfway. Next is back through Getbol.
6. back through Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Getbol comes up about 264 km into the recorded legs. Next is Museong-seowon.
7. Museong-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Museong-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Museong-seowon closes the day.
Leg by leg
Museong-seowon to Getbol
Museong-seowon → Getbol is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Getbol to Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Getbol → Koch'ang Dolmen Site is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Koch'ang Dolmen Site to Muan Hamhaeman Getbol
Koch'ang Dolmen Site → Muan Hamhaeman Getbol is 78 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Muan Hamhaeman Getbol to back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Muan Hamhaeman Getbol → back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site is 78 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site to back through Getbol
back through Koch'ang Dolmen Site → back through Getbol is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Getbol to Museong-seowon
back through Getbol → Museong-seowon is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Gochang Getbol and Piram-seowon · 91 km
- Museong-seowon and Piram-seowon · 252 km