Why this ride
A 456 km round trip from Seungju - roughly 7 h 55 in the saddle. On the way it passes Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol, Gochang, Piram-seowon and Koch'ang Dolmen Site. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Seonamsa Temple and Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 456 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 55
- 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. Seonamsa Temple
An old stone bridge arches over a stream in the forest on the way up to Seonamsa, and the view through its curve to a pavilion beyond is one of the best known images of Korean temple architecture. The Seungseongyo bridge dates back to the Joseon period, and the temple behind it, on the slopes of Jogyesan mountain near Suncheon, has a history going back to the ninth century. Seonamsa is one of seven Korean Buddhist mountain monasteries listed in 2018 as Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea, chosen because they have remained centres of living religious practice for over a thousand years.
Read the complete Seonamsa Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Seonamsa Temple is where the day begins. Next is Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol.
2. Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
Korea's southern coast is a place where land and sea cannot decide who owns what. The tides here rise and fall by several metres, leaving wide mud flats, called getbol, that glitter in low light and fill with life. The Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats, were added to the UNESCO list in 2021 because they are a feeding ground for migratory birds travelling along the East Asian flyway, including rare ones such as the black-faced spoonbill. Boseong, Suncheon, Yeosu and Goheung are the four stretches here, strung along a coast of bays, islands and reed beds.
Read the complete Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol comes up 51 km in. Next is Gochang.
3. Gochang
Ancient Korea built more dolmens than anywhere else on earth. These megalithic tombs, a huge capstone resting on smaller upright stones, were raised by Bronze Age communities some three thousand years ago, and the clusters at Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa were listed together as a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Read the complete Gochang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
103 km in you reach Gochang. Next is Piram-seowon.
4. Piram-seowon
Piram-seowon sits on flat land among rice fields in Jangseong county, in South Jeolla province, its gates opening onto a courtyard with wooden pavilions and a shrine. It was founded in the late sixteenth century to honour Kim In-hu, a Neo-Confucian scholar from the region known for his integrity and his poetry, and it is one of the nine academies inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2019 as Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies. Unlike many seowon, which were closed by the government in the nineteenth century, Piram survived, and rituals are still held there.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Piram-seowon, about halfway. Next is Koch'ang Dolmen Site.
5. 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
Koch'ang Dolmen Site sits at 205 km, about halfway. Next is back through Piram-seowon.
6. back through Piram-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Piram-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Piram-seowon comes up 256 km in. Next is back through Gochang.
7. back through Gochang
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gochang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
308 km in you reach back through Gochang. Next is back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol.
8. back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol, late in the day. Next is Seonamsa Temple.
9. Seonamsa Temple
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seonamsa Temple 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 456 km.
Leg by leg
Seonamsa Temple to Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
Seonamsa Temple → Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol to Gochang
Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol → Gochang is 83 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Gochang to Piram-seowon
Gochang → Piram-seowon is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Piram-seowon to Koch'ang Dolmen Site
Piram-seowon → Koch'ang Dolmen Site is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Koch'ang Dolmen Site to back through Piram-seowon
Koch'ang Dolmen Site → back through Piram-seowon is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Piram-seowon to back through Gochang
back through Piram-seowon → back through Gochang is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gochang to back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol
back through Gochang → back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol is 83 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol to Seonamsa Temple
back through Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol → Seonamsa Temple is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.