Why this ride
488 km from Manp’o to Manp’o, about 7 h 35 of riding. On the way it passes Wandu Mountain City, Changchuan Tomb No. 1, Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko and Wunu Mountain City. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb and Wunu Mountain City
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 488 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 35
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb
It is a striking frontier: on one bank, Chinese towers and tourist boats; on the other, small farms, fishermen and a few watchtowers. The river is quiet, wide and slow here, and on a misty morning the contrast is haunting.
Read the complete Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb is where the day begins. Next is Wandu Mountain City.
2. Wandu Mountain City
Wandu is the mountain fortress that Koguryo's rulers built to retreat to when their lowland capital was threatened, and it still stands above the Yalu valley, a long line of stone walls following the contours of a steep ridge. Its builders chose a site where cliffs and slopes made natural defences, and the gates, towers, lookout platforms and palace foundations are visible in the forest. It is a place of long silences and big views, the sort of site that makes the strategy of the old kingdom obvious.
Read the complete Wandu Mountain City write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wandu Mountain City comes up 40 km in. Next is Changchuan Tomb No. 1, 41 km on.
3. Changchuan Tomb No. 1
Changchuan Tomb No. 1 is among the painted tombs of the ancient Koguryo kingdom, a state that ruled northern Korea and much of Manchuria from the first centuries BC until 668. The tomb itself lies on the Chinese bank, in a valley of fields and low hills where the Koguryo kings had one of their capitals.
Read the complete Changchuan Tomb No. 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
81 km in you reach Changchuan Tomb No. 1. Next is Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko.
4. Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko
Few places show the ambition of a lost kingdom as clearly as the valley of the Yalu at Ji'an, where Koguryo built three cities and left forty tombs that UNESCO listed in 2004. The kingdom began in the first century BC, grew into a regional power and fought off Chinese dynasties for centuries, and at its height it controlled territory from Manchuria to the middle of the Korean peninsula. Its warriors rode armoured horses, its builders cut huge blocks of granite, and its artists painted the walls of tombs with scenes that still glow.
Read the complete Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko, about halfway. Next is Wunu Mountain City.
5. Wunu Mountain City
Wunu Mountain City is a ruined fortress on a flat-topped crag in Liaoning province, in the green hills of northeastern China, and it was probably the first capital of the Goguryeo kingdom. Before that kingdom grew into a power that rivalled Chinese dynasties, its founders chose a mountain stronghold above a river for safety. Cliffs shelter the plateau on almost every side, and the builders closed the few gaps with stone walls. Inside, there are traces of buildings, a spring, a soldier's quarters and a platform that may have served as a lookout. It is part of the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom, listed by UNESCO in 2004, which takes in sites around Huanren and Ji'an.
Read the complete Wunu Mountain City write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wunu Mountain City sits at 162 km, about halfway. Next is back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko.
6. back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko comes up 202 km in. Next is back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1, 40 km on.
7. back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Changchuan Tomb No. 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
242 km in you reach back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1. Next is back through Wandu Mountain City.
8. back through Wandu Mountain City
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Wandu Mountain City write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Wandu Mountain City, late in the day. Next is Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb.
9. Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb 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 488 km.
Leg by leg
Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb to Wandu Mountain City
Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb → Wandu Mountain City is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wandu Mountain City to Changchuan Tomb No. 1
Wandu Mountain City → Changchuan Tomb No. 1 is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Changchuan Tomb No. 1 to Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko
Changchuan Tomb No. 1 → Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko to Wunu Mountain City
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko → Wunu Mountain City is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Wunu Mountain City to back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko
Wunu Mountain City → back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko to back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1
back through Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Ko → back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1 is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1 to back through Wandu Mountain City
back through Changchuan Tomb No. 1 → back through Wandu Mountain City is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Wandu Mountain City to Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb
back through Wandu Mountain City → Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.