Why this ride
A 112 km round trip from Yongsan-dong - roughly 2 h 47 in the saddle. On the way it passes Namhansanseong, Donggureung Cluster and back through Namhansanseong.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Seolleung Cluster and Donggureung Cluster
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 112 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 47
- 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. Seolleung Cluster
You come up out of the Seolleung subway station into the glass towers of Gangnam, and a few minutes later you are standing in a pine grove with royal tombs. The Seolleung cluster holds the burial mounds of King Seongjong, who died in the fifteenth century, and his queen, together with the tomb of King Jungjong, a later ruler, at a short distance. The park, surrounded by office blocks and busy roads, has the stillness of a place that has been left alone for five hundred years, and it is one of the most surprising pieces of silence in the city.
Read the complete Seolleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Seolleung 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 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Donggureung Cluster.
3. 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
about 57 km into the recorded legs you reach Donggureung Cluster. Next is back through Namhansanseong.
4. 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, late in the day. Next is Seolleung Cluster.
5. Seolleung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seolleung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Seolleung Cluster. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Seolleung Cluster to Namhansanseong
Seolleung Cluster → Namhansanseong is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Namhansanseong to Donggureung Cluster
Namhansanseong → Donggureung Cluster is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Donggureung Cluster to back through Namhansanseong
Donggureung Cluster → back through Namhansanseong is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Namhansanseong to Seolleung Cluster
back through Namhansanseong → Seolleung Cluster is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.