Why this ride
A 207 km round trip from Ontinyent - roughly 4 h 38 in the saddle. On the way it passes Penya de Benicadell, Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I, Penya del Vicari and back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric de la monja and Penya del Vicari
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 207 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 38
- 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. Abric de la monja
Ontinyent sits in the Vall d'Albaida, in the south of Valencia, a town of about thirty-eight thousand people with a long textile tradition that goes back to wool, blankets and, more recently, home textiles. The Clariano river runs through it, and the hills around are wrinkled limestone, covered in pine, holm oak and wild herbs. In the shelter of those hills, small rock overhangs, called abrics here, carry paintings made by prehistoric people, and the Abric de la Monja is one of them, part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998.
Read the complete Abric de la monja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la monja is where the day begins. Next is Penya de Benicadell.
2. Penya de Benicadell
From almost anywhere in the southern half of Valencia province you can see it: a long, jagged ridge of grey limestone with a sharp tooth at its eastern end, standing on the skyline like a broken saw. The Benicadell, at 1,104 metres, separates the Vall d'Albaida to the north from the Comtat to the south, and the sharp summit, the Penya, is the mountain's signature. At its foot lie the villages of Beniarrés, Ràfol de Salem and Otos.
Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penya de Benicadell comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I.
3. Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I
The Marina Alta is the region of Alicante where the coast gives way to a jumble of limestone mountains and deep ravines, and a little inland from the beach resorts is a country that feels like a different world. Castell de Castells, Vall d'Ebo and Benimantell are all small villages, with a few hundred inhabitants each, scattered among terraces of almonds, olives and carob. The Racó de Gorgorí is a ravine in this country, and the shelter named Abric I is one of the Levantine rock art sites that UNESCO listed in 1998 as part of the Mediterranean-arc group. A short distance away is Pla de Petracos, one of the best-known sites in the area, with painted figures that have been studied for decades.
Read the complete Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 67 km into the recorded legs you reach Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I. Next is Penya del Vicari.
4. Penya del Vicari
On a map of the Costa Blanca, the Serra de Bernia looks like a wall dropped between two very different worlds. On one side, high-rise Benidorm and the busy coast; on the other, the quiet valleys of Jalón and Guadalest. The Penya del Vicari is one of the rocky outcrops in these hills above Altea and Calp, a place where the limestone is cut by caves and shelters, some of which carry traces of prehistoric painting. It is a small, quiet site in an area otherwise famous for sun loungers.
Read the complete Penya del Vicari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penya del Vicari, about halfway. Next is back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I.
5. back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through Penya de Benicadell.
6. back through Penya de Benicadell
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Penya de Benicadell comes up about 176 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de la monja.
7. Abric de la monja
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la monja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la monja closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric de la monja to Penya de Benicadell
Abric de la monja → Penya de Benicadell is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Penya de Benicadell to Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I
Penya de Benicadell → Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I to Penya del Vicari
Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I → Penya del Vicari is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Penya del Vicari to back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I
Penya del Vicari → back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I to back through Penya de Benicadell
back through Racó de Gorgorí- Abric I → back through Penya de Benicadell is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Penya de Benicadell to Abric de la monja
back through Penya de Benicadell → Abric de la monja is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.