Why this ride
199 km from Namyangju to Namyangju, about 4 h 09 of riding. It goes by way of Namhansanseong, Taereung Cluster, Heolleung Cluster and back through Taereung Cluster.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sareung Cluster and Heolleung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 199 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 09
- 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. Sareung Cluster
A queen who outlived her husband by more than sixty years lies here. Sareung is the tomb of Queen Jeongsun, wife of King Danjong, the boy king of the Joseon dynasty who was deposed by his uncle in 1455 and later killed in exile. Jeongsun lived on in poverty outside the capital, and the story of her loyalty and grief became one of the most moving in Korean history. Her tomb, a grassy mound guarded by stone figures and approached along a path through pine forest, is one of the forty Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty listed together as a World Heritage Site in 2009.
Read the complete Sareung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sareung Cluster is where the day begins. Next is Namhansanseong.
2. Namhansanseong
Just beyond the south-eastern edge of Seoul, the city stops abruptly against wooded mountains, and on top of them runs a stone wall with gates, watchtowers and command posts. Namhansanseong was built as an emergency capital, a mountain fortress where the king and court could retreat in time of invasion, and in the winter of 1636 to 1637 it was put to the test. King Injo fled here from the invading Qing army and held out for forty-seven days before hunger and the fall of other strongholds forced him to surrender. The fortress became a World Heritage Site in 2014.
Read the complete Namhansanseong write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Namhansanseong comes up about 36 km into the recorded legs. Next is Taereung Cluster.
3. Taereung Cluster
Korea's Joseon kings chose their tombs the way they chose a capital, with a geomancer. A good site needed a mountain behind, water in front and a gentle forest around, and the royal tombs scattered across the countryside around Seoul follow that rule, which is why many of them feel like parks. Taereung is one of the best known, on the north-east side of the city, a burial ground for Queen Munjeong and her son King Myeongjong in the sixteenth century. The forty tombs of the dynasty were listed by UNESCO in 2009, and walking among them is a calm contrast to the city outside.
Read the complete Taereung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 74 km into the recorded legs you reach Taereung Cluster. Next is Heolleung Cluster.
4. Heolleung Cluster
In the south of Seoul, wedged between highways, apartment towers and the Daemosan hills, a forest of oak and pine hides two royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty. Heolleung is the tomb of King Taejong, the third king of Joseon, who ruled in the early fifteenth century, and his queen Wongyeong, and nearby lies Inneung, the tomb of King Sunjo and his queen from the nineteenth century. Together they form one of the clusters of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, listed by UNESCO in 2009.
Read the complete Heolleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Heolleung Cluster, about halfway. Next is back through Taereung Cluster.
5. back through Taereung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Taereung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Taereung Cluster sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through Namhansanseong.
6. back through Namhansanseong
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Namhansanseong write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Namhansanseong comes up about 163 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sareung Cluster.
7. Sareung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sareung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sareung Cluster closes the day.
Leg by leg
Sareung Cluster to Namhansanseong
Sareung Cluster → Namhansanseong is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Namhansanseong to Taereung Cluster
Namhansanseong → Taereung Cluster is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Taereung Cluster to Heolleung Cluster
Taereung Cluster → Heolleung Cluster is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Heolleung Cluster to back through Taereung Cluster
Heolleung Cluster → back through Taereung Cluster is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Taereung Cluster to back through Namhansanseong
back through Taereung Cluster → back through Namhansanseong is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Namhansanseong to Sareung Cluster
back through Namhansanseong → Sareung Cluster is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.