Why this ride
A 275 km round trip from Si Satchanalai - roughly 4 h 44 in the saddle. On the way it passes Sukhotai Historical Park, Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park and back through Sukhotai Historical Park. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Si Satchanalai Historical Park and Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 275 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 44
- 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. Si Satchanalai Historical Park
Si Satchanalai is the quieter sibling of Sukhothai, and many riders prefer it for exactly that reason. It sits on the Yom River in northern Thailand's lower north, in a bowl of low hills, and what remains of the old city is spread across a park of trimmed lawns, laterite walls and big shade trees. The kingdom of Sukhothai used this as a sister city in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the monuments here, in a style that mixes Khmer, Sinhalese and Thai ideas, are some of the earliest Thai Buddhist architecture you can still walk among.
Read the complete Si Satchanalai Historical Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Si Satchanalai Historical Park is where the day begins. Next is Sukhotai Historical Park.
2. Sukhotai Historical Park
In 1238, two Thai chiefs drove the Khmer governor out of a small city in the north of the central plain and founded a kingdom, and Sukhothai, the Dawn of Happiness, became the first capital of what we now call Thailand. The kingdom reached its height under King Ramkhamhaeng, who is credited with creating the Thai alphabet. A stone inscription dated to 1292, which is attributed to him, describes a country where there was fish in the water and rice in the fields, and where anyone with a grievance could ring a bell at the palace gate to be heard by the king. Whether the picture is wholly true is debated, but the image of a benevolent kingdom has clung to Sukhothai ever since.
Read the complete Sukhotai Historical Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sukhotai Historical Park comes up about 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.
3. Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
Kamphaeng Phet means diamond wall, though the name probably refers to the strength of the fortifications rather than to any gems. The historical park lies on the Ping river in the lower north of Thailand, a short ride from a provincial town of nearly sixty thousand, and it protects the remains of a city that served as a fortress of the Sukhothai kingdom in the fourteenth century. Together with Sukhothai itself and Si Satchanalai, it makes up a UNESCO World Heritage group that records the first great Thai kingdom.
Read the complete Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 136 km into the recorded legs you reach Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. Next is back through Sukhotai Historical Park.
4. back through Sukhotai Historical Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sukhotai Historical Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Sukhotai Historical Park, late in the day. Next is Si Satchanalai Historical Park.
5. Si Satchanalai Historical Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Si Satchanalai Historical Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Si Satchanalai Historical Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Si Satchanalai Historical Park to Sukhotai Historical Park
Si Satchanalai Historical Park → Sukhotai Historical Park is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sukhotai Historical Park to Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
Sukhotai Historical Park → Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park to back through Sukhotai Historical Park
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park → back through Sukhotai Historical Park is 81 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Sukhotai Historical Park to Si Satchanalai Historical Park
back through Sukhotai Historical Park → Si Satchanalai Historical Park is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.