Why this ride
From Luoyang it runs 218 km to Luoyang; allow about 2 h 56 of riding. On the way it passes Longmen Grottoes, Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple and back through Longmen Grottoes. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site of Huiloa Granary and Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 218 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 56
- 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. Site of Huiloa Granary
Huiluo Granary was the pantry of the Sui dynasty, and the scale of it is hard to take in. Built around 606, during the reign of Emperor Yang, on a rise northeast of the new eastern capital of Luoyang, it was one of the great state storehouses along the Grand Canal, designed to hold grain shipped in from the rich lands of the east and south. The Sui emperors dug canals at a furious pace to link the Yellow and Yangtze basins, and granaries like this one were the stockpiles that kept the capital, the army and the court fed.
Read the complete Site of Huiloa Granary write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site of Huiloa Granary is where the day begins. Next is Longmen Grottoes.
2. Longmen Grottoes
South of Luoyang, the river Yi cuts through a narrow gap between two limestone hills, and for about a kilometre the cliffs on both sides are honeycombed with caves, niches and carvings. Over around four centuries, starting in the late fifth century under the Northern Wei dynasty and continuing through the Tang, Buddhist sculptors carved tens of thousands of statues into the rock, from tiny figures a few centimetres high to colossal Buddhas. The Longmen Grottoes were listed by UNESCO in 2000 and are among the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art.
Read the complete Longmen Grottoes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Longmen Grottoes comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple.
3. Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple
Ask most people where kung fu comes from and they will name this temple, even if they have no idea where it is. The Shaolin Temple stands at the foot of Mount Song in Henan province, central China, near the city of Dengfeng. It was founded at the end of the fifth century for an Indian monk, and tradition says that Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Chan, or Zen, Buddhism, meditated in a cave on the mountain above for nine years. The monks' martial arts became famous over the centuries, and today Shaolin is as much a brand as a monastery.
Read the complete Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 111 km into the recorded legs you reach Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple. Next is back through Longmen Grottoes.
4. back through Longmen Grottoes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Longmen Grottoes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Longmen Grottoes, late in the day. Next is Site of Huiloa Granary.
5. Site of Huiloa Granary
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site of Huiloa Granary write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Site of Huiloa Granary. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Site of Huiloa Granary to Longmen Grottoes
Site of Huiloa Granary → Longmen Grottoes is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Longmen Grottoes to Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple
Longmen Grottoes → Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple to back through Longmen Grottoes
Architectural Complex of Shaolin Temple → back through Longmen Grottoes is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Longmen Grottoes to Site of Huiloa Granary
back through Longmen Grottoes → Site of Huiloa Granary is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.