Why this ride
171 km from Jangheung to Jangheung, about 4 h 03 of riding. On the way it passes Jeongneung Cluster, Seosamreung Cluster, Changdeokgung Palace Complex and Donggureung Cluster.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Olleung Cluster and Donggureung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 171 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 03
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Seosamreung Cluster → Changdeokgung Palace Complex
20 km on Seosamreung Cluster → Changdeokgung Palace Complex.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 20 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Olleung Cluster
Seoul's royal tombs are not all in the city centre, and the ones on this stretch lie in the green country just to the north-west, in a belt of forest, farmland and expanding suburbs that stretches towards the border. The cluster on our list is one of several groups of Joseon dynasty burial mounds, and the nearest sizeable town is Uijeongbu, nearly half a million people, with Goyang just beyond it.
Read the complete Olleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Olleung Cluster is where the day begins. Next is Jeongneung Cluster.
2. Jeongneung Cluster
Jeongneung is a royal tomb in the middle of Seoul, in the wooded hills of Seongbuk district just north of the old city, and it carries one of the more spiteful stories of the early Joseon court. It belongs to Queen Sindeok, the second wife of the dynasty's founder, King Taejo. Her son was named crown prince ahead of Taejo's older sons by his first wife, and one of those older sons, Yi Bang-won, struck back violently, killing his half-brothers and eventually taking the throne as King Taejong.
Read the complete Jeongneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jeongneung Cluster comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Seosamreung Cluster.
3. Seosamreung Cluster
The kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty, who ruled Korea for more than five hundred years until 1910, chose their graves with enormous care. Geomancers studied hills, water and wind to find sites with the right energy, and the royal tombs were laid out with burial mounds, stone guardians, ceremonial halls and long processional paths. Forty of these tombs are listed together by UNESCO as the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, and Seosamreung, the three western tombs in Goyang just north-west of Seoul, is one of the clusters.
Read the complete Seosamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 47 km into the recorded legs you reach Seosamreung Cluster. Next is Changdeokgung Palace Complex.
4. Changdeokgung Palace Complex
Changdeokgung was built in 1405 as a secondary palace for the Joseon kings, and it ended up being the one they actually liked living in. Where the main palace, Gyeongbokgung, was laid out on a strict axis, Changdeokgung was fitted into the foot of the hills, following the folds of the ground, and its halls, gates and courtyards feel more relaxed and more human as a result. After the Japanese invasions of the 1590s burned all of Seoul's palaces, this was the first to be rebuilt, and it served as the main royal residence for some two and a half centuries.
Read the complete Changdeokgung Palace Complex write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Changdeokgung Palace Complex, about halfway. Next is Donggureung Cluster.
5. 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 sits at 75 km, about halfway. Next is back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex.
6. back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Changdeokgung Palace Complex write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex comes up about 103 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Seosamreung Cluster.
7. back through Seosamreung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seosamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Seosamreung Cluster. Next is back through Jeongneung Cluster.
8. back through Jeongneung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jeongneung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jeongneung Cluster, late in the day. Next is Olleung Cluster.
9. Olleung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Olleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 171 km.
Leg by leg
Olleung Cluster to Jeongneung Cluster
Olleung Cluster → Jeongneung Cluster is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jeongneung Cluster to Seosamreung Cluster
Jeongneung Cluster → Seosamreung Cluster is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seosamreung Cluster to Changdeokgung Palace Complex
Seosamreung Cluster → Changdeokgung Palace Complex is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Changdeokgung Palace Complex to Donggureung Cluster
Changdeokgung Palace Complex → Donggureung Cluster is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Donggureung Cluster to back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex
Donggureung Cluster → back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex to back through Seosamreung Cluster
back through Changdeokgung Palace Complex → back through Seosamreung Cluster is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Seosamreung Cluster to back through Jeongneung Cluster
back through Seosamreung Cluster → back through Jeongneung Cluster is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jeongneung Cluster to Olleung Cluster
back through Jeongneung Cluster → Olleung Cluster is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.