Abric de la mostela and Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
319 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 14
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.
From Catí it runs 319 km to Catí; allow about 6 h 14 of riding. It goes by way of Abric del.mas Blanc, Barranco de Gibert II, Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d and back through Barranco de Gibert II. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,400 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Abric de la mostela
The hill country around Albocàsser and Catí, in the north of Castellón province, is a landscape of terraced slopes, almond trees and limestone ravines that few visitors cross on their way from the coast to Morella.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la mostela is where the day begins. Next is Abric del.mas Blanc, 32 km on.
2. Abric del.mas Blanc
Benassal is a stone village on a high plateau in the Alt Maestrat, in the interior of Castellón, at around eight hundred metres above sea level, and it is known throughout the region for its spring water, the Font d'en Segures, which is bottled and sold across Spain. The Abric del Mas Blanc, the shelter of the white farmhouse, is one of the many rock-art sites in the area, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art. The nearby Valltorta gorge, about twenty kilometres to the east, has some of the most famous Levantine paintings, including dramatic hunting scenes, and the Valltorta museum in Tírig is the best place to learn about them.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del.mas Blanc comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranco de Gibert II.
3. Barranco de Gibert II
Up on the roof of the Maestrazgo, where Teruel and Castellón meet, the land rises above fourteen hundred metres into a bleak, beautiful plateau of pasture, pine and limestone. Mosqueruela, on the Aragonese side, is one of the highest villages in the area, and Vilafranca, on the Valencian side, sits in a valley below. The Barranco de Gibert cuts into the hills between them, close also to La Iglesuela del Cid, and its second shelter holds prehistoric paintings.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 73 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranco de Gibert II. Next is Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d.
4. Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
The Guadalope river cuts a deep canyon through the limestone of the Maestrazgo in eastern Teruel, and the Abrigo del Arenal de la Fonseca lies in this wild country near the hamlet of Ladruñán, between the villages of Castellote and Cantavieja. It is one of the important rock-art shelters of Aragon, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art, with Levantine paintings of animals and human figures in red pigment on the rock. The setting is spectacular: a narrow gorge with towering cliffs, the river flowing below, and pine and holm oak clinging to the slopes. Access involves a walk, and the paintings are protected by a fence.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la mostela closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric de la mostela to Abric del.mas Blanc
Abric de la mostela → Abric del.mas Blanc is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del.mas Blanc to Barranco de Gibert II
Abric del.mas Blanc → Barranco de Gibert II is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranco de Gibert II to Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
Barranco de Gibert II → Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d is 86 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d to back through Barranco de Gibert II
Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d → back through Barranco de Gibert II is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranco de Gibert II to back through Abric del.mas Blanc
back through Barranco de Gibert II → back through Abric del.mas Blanc is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric del.mas Blanc to Abric de la mostela
back through Abric del.mas Blanc → Abric de la mostela is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.