Why this ride
The stops in between: near Kaesŏng and Kwangmyŏng. It crosses from North Korea into South Korea - carry ID and check the toll rules.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ganghwa Island Coastal Ride · part 2
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 303 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 16
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Ganghwa Island Coastal Ride checkpoint 8 → Back to Ganghwa
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 67 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 67 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Photo stop near Hwaseong-si
Planning note
Photo stop near Hwaseong-si is where the day begins. Next is Food stop near Kaesŏng.
2. Food stop near Kaesŏng
Kaesŏng is a name that carries weight in Korea. For nearly five centuries it was the capital of the Goryeo kingdom, the dynasty that gave Korea its name in Western languages, and it was famous for its merchants, its ginseng and its cuisine. Today it lies in North Korea, just across the Demilitarised Zone, and for riders in the South it is a city seen only from a distance, across the water and the wire, from the northern shores of Ganghwa Island and the Gimpo peninsula.
Read the complete Food stop near Kaesŏng write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Food stop near Kaesŏng is where this day stops to eat. Next is Ganghwa Island Coastal Ride checkpoint 8.
3. Near Kwangmyŏng
Under a hill in Gwangmyeong, a disused gold mine has been turned into one of the stranger tourist attractions near Seoul. The Gwangmyeong Cave, worked for metal for much of the twentieth century and later used to store salted shrimp, now has light shows, an underground aquarium and a wine cellar stocked with Korean wines, all in tunnels kept at a cool, constant temperature even in the heat of August.
Read the complete Near Kwangmyŏng 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 303 km. Next is Back to Ganghwa.
4. Back to Ganghwa
Namyangju, to the south-east, is a large satellite city of Seoul, with a mix of apartments, farmland and woods. The town has a quiet, semi-rural feel, with vegetable fields and small restaurants strung along the roads.
Read the complete Ganghwa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back to Ganghwa closes the day.
Leg by leg
Photo stop near Hwaseong-si to Food stop near Kaesŏng
Photo stop near Hwaseong-si → Food stop near Kaesŏng is 128 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Kaesŏng to Near Kwangmyŏng
Food stop near Kaesŏng → Near Kwangmyŏng is 108 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.