Why this ride
A 405 km round trip from Goseong - roughly 6 h 14 in the saddle. On the way it passes Marisan Tumuli, Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli, Jisan-dong Tumuli and Namgye-seowon. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Songhak-dong Tumuli and Namgye-seowon
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 405 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 14
- 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. Songhak-dong Tumuli
The little port town of Goseong, on the south coast of Korea, is best known to many Koreans for dinosaur footprints, but the green mounds on a ridge above the sea tell an older story. The Songhak-dong tumuli are burial mounds of the Gaya confederacy, a group of small city-states that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula alongside the better-known kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla, and that were gradually absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. Goseong was the centre of one of these states, usually called Sogaya, and the big round mounds here, laid out in a line above the bay, were the graves of its rulers.
Read the complete Songhak-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Songhak-dong Tumuli is where the day begins. Next is Marisan Tumuli.
2. Marisan Tumuli
In Haman county, in the south of Korea, a long ridge rises above the town of Gaya, and along its crest lies a line of large burial mounds, grassy domes that seem to ripple across the hills. These are the Malisan, or Marisan, tumuli, the royal tombs of Ara Gaya, one of the states of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula from roughly the first to the sixth century. In 2023, they were listed by UNESCO together with other Gaya tumuli across the region.
Read the complete Marisan Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Marisan Tumuli comes up 48 km in. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
3. Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
The rounded grassy mounds rising behind Changnyeong look almost like natural hills until you notice how regular they are. These are the Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong tumuli, burial mounds of the rulers of Bihwa, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between roughly the first and sixth centuries before being absorbed by Silla. In 2023 they became part of a UNESCO listing that brings together seven Gaya tomb clusters, and they are among the most atmospheric of the group.
Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
96 km in you reach Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli. Next is Jisan-dong Tumuli.
4. Jisan-dong Tumuli
Above the small county town of Goryeong, in south-eastern Korea, a line of grassy burial mounds runs along the ridge of Jusan mountain like the knuckles of a giant hand. These are the Jisan-dong tumuli, tombs of the rulers and elite of Daegaya, the most powerful member of the Gaya confederacy, a group of small kingdoms that flourished in the south of the peninsula until they were absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. The largest mounds are huge, and excavations found not only rich grave goods, iron weapons, armour, gold crowns and pottery, but also evidence that attendants were buried with their lords. Together with other Gaya tomb groups, the site was added to the World Heritage list in 2023.
Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jisan-dong Tumuli, about halfway. Next is Namgye-seowon.
5. Namgye-seowon
Hamyang is a quiet county in the mountains of South Gyeongsang, on the eastern edge of Jirisan, the great massif in the south of the Korean peninsula, and Namgye-seowon stands on a gentle slope a few kilometres from the county town. Founded in 1552 to honour the Neo-Confucian scholar Jeong Yeo-chang, it was one of the earliest private academies in Korea and served as a model for many others. Its layout set a pattern: the lecture hall at the front, dormitories on either side, and the shrine for the rites at the top of the slope, so that the buildings climb the hill in a hierarchy of importance. Unusually, the dormitories have small raised pavilions overlooking ponds, where students could rest and contemplate the landscape. Namgye is part of the UNESCO listing of the Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies.
Read the complete Namgye-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Namgye-seowon sits at 192 km, about halfway. Next is back through Jisan-dong Tumuli.
6. back through Jisan-dong Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli comes up 239 km in. Next is back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
7. back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
287 km in you reach back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli. Next is back through Marisan Tumuli.
8. back through Marisan Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Marisan Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Marisan Tumuli, late in the day. Next is Songhak-dong Tumuli.
9. Songhak-dong Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Songhak-dong Tumuli 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 405 km.
Leg by leg
Songhak-dong Tumuli to Marisan Tumuli
Songhak-dong Tumuli → Marisan Tumuli is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Marisan Tumuli to Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Marisan Tumuli → Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to Jisan-dong Tumuli
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → Jisan-dong Tumuli is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jisan-dong Tumuli to Namgye-seowon
Jisan-dong Tumuli → Namgye-seowon is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Namgye-seowon to back through Jisan-dong Tumuli
Namgye-seowon → back through Jisan-dong Tumuli is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli to back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
back through Jisan-dong Tumuli → back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to back through Marisan Tumuli
back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → back through Marisan Tumuli is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Marisan Tumuli to Songhak-dong Tumuli
back through Marisan Tumuli → Songhak-dong Tumuli is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.