noun
return journey; way home; way back
Refers to the route or journey while returning from somewhere. Common in written Japanese and set phrases such as 帰路に就く.
旅行の帰路、京都に立ち寄った。
On the way back from the trip, we stopped by Kyoto.
会議が終わると、参加者たちはそれぞれ帰路に就いた。
When the meeting ended, the participants each started on their way home.
The opposite direction: the outward or outbound leg of a journey.
A Sino-Japanese compound: 帰 means 'to return' and 路 means 'road' or 'route,' giving the sense of a route or journey back.