Why this ride
From Guri-si it runs 267 km to Guri-si; allow about 4 h 35 of riding. The stops in between: Pajusamreung Cluster, Seosan Getbol, Kanghwa Dolmen Sites and back through Seosan Getbol. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Taereung Cluster and Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 267 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 35
- 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. Taereung Cluster
Korea's Joseon kings chose their tombs the way they chose a capital, with a geomancer. A good site needed a mountain behind, water in front and a gentle forest around, and the royal tombs scattered across the countryside around Seoul follow that rule, which is why many of them feel like parks. Taereung is one of the best known, on the north-east side of the city, a burial ground for Queen Munjeong and her son King Myeongjong in the sixteenth century. The forty tombs of the dynasty were listed by UNESCO in 2009, and walking among them is a calm contrast to the city outside.
Read the complete Taereung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Taereung Cluster is where the day begins. Next is Pajusamreung Cluster.
2. Pajusamreung Cluster
Close to the most heavily fortified border in the world, three royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty lie in a quiet pine forest in Paju, north of Seoul. Pajusamreung, the three tombs of Paju, include the resting places of Queen Jangsun and Queen Gonghye, both married to kings and both of whom died young, and of King Jinjong, honoured after his early death. Like all the Joseon royal tombs, they follow a precise layout of spirit gates, stone paths, shrines and grass mounds guarded by stone officials and animals, and they are part of the World Heritage listing of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.
Read the complete Pajusamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pajusamreung Cluster comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Seosan Getbol.
3. Seosan Getbol
Korea's west coast has some of the largest tides on earth. Twice a day the Yellow Sea pulls back for kilometres, exposing vast shining mud flats, the getbol, laced with channels and alive with crabs, mudskippers, worms and shellfish. UNESCO has listed a series of these Korean tidal flats for their extraordinary biodiversity and for the millions of migratory shorebirds that stop here to feed on their way between Siberia and Australia.
Read the complete Seosan Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 90 km into the recorded legs you reach Seosan Getbol. Next is Kanghwa Dolmen Sites.
4. Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Ganghwa Island lies in the mouth of the Han River, just north-west of Seoul and Incheon, and on a clear day you can look across a narrow channel of tidal water straight into North Korea. The town of Kaesong is barely twenty-five kilometres away. That closeness gives the island an edge, with watch posts and fences along parts of the shore, but its fame is much older. The Ganghwa dolmens, together with those at Gochang and Hwasun in the south, were listed by UNESCO in 2000, and Korea holds a remarkable share of all the dolmens known in the world.
Read the complete Kanghwa Dolmen Sites write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites, about halfway. Next is back through Seosan Getbol.
5. back through Seosan Getbol
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Seosan Getbol write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Seosan Getbol sits at 166 km, about halfway. Next is back through Pajusamreung Cluster.
6. back through Pajusamreung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pajusamreung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pajusamreung Cluster comes up about 230 km into the recorded legs. Next is Taereung Cluster.
7. Taereung Cluster
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Taereung Cluster write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Taereung Cluster closes the day.
Leg by leg
Taereung Cluster to Pajusamreung Cluster
Taereung Cluster → Pajusamreung Cluster is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pajusamreung Cluster to Seosan Getbol
Pajusamreung Cluster → Seosan Getbol is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Seosan Getbol to Kanghwa Dolmen Sites
Seosan Getbol → Kanghwa Dolmen Sites is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites to back through Seosan Getbol
Kanghwa Dolmen Sites → back through Seosan Getbol is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Seosan Getbol to back through Pajusamreung Cluster
back through Seosan Getbol → back through Pajusamreung Cluster is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pajusamreung Cluster to Taereung Cluster
back through Pajusamreung Cluster → Taereung Cluster is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.