Why this ride
A 141 km round trip from Millares - roughly 4 h 33 in the saddle. On the way it passes Abric del Espolón del Zapatero, Peñon de los machos and back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric de la Pareja and Peñon de los machos
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 141 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 33
- 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 Pareja
The Júcar gorge below Dos Aguas is the sort of scenery that makes Spanish interior roads famous among riders. A deep valley of red and grey rock, pine and oak, it carries the river towards the sea, and the villages along it, Millares and Dos Aguas among them, are old and small. The Abric de la Pareja is a rock shelter in the cliffs nearby, and its name, the Couple, refers to a pair of painted figures. It is part of the Levantine rock art that UNESCO lists among the Mediterranean Basin sites, and its paintings are among the best examples of how prehistoric hunters pictured themselves.
Read the complete Abric de la Pareja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Pareja is where the day begins. Next is Abric del Espolón del Zapatero.
2. Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
The Cortes de Pallás area, in the interior of Valencia province, is one of the wildest places within an hour or two of the coast. The Júcar river has carved a deep canyon through the limestone, and the Muela de Cortes, a high plateau of rock and scrub, rises above it. Bicorp, Quesa and Millares are small villages on its edge, and the roads that link them are some of the twistiest in the region, with sections that cling to the sides of the gorge and open on huge views. Griffon vultures and golden eagles use the cliffs, and the pine woods are home to wild boar and roe deer.
Read the complete Abric del Espolón del Zapatero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Peñon de los machos.
3. Peñon de los machos
Cofrentes is a village at the confluence of two rivers, the Júcar and the Cabriel, in the interior of Valencia province, and it has a curious mix of attractions. Above it stands a castle on a crag. Nearby rises the Cerro de Agrás, the only recently active volcano in the Valencian Community, a dark cone of basalt in a landscape of limestone. And just outside the village, the cooling towers of the Cofrentes nuclear power station send plumes of steam into the sky. The Peñón de los Machos, a rocky outcrop with painted shelters, lies in the hills between Cofrentes, Jalance and Jarafuel.
Read the complete Peñon de los machos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 70 km into the recorded legs you reach Peñon de los machos. Next is back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero.
4. back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric del Espolón del Zapatero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero, late in the day. Next is Abric de la Pareja.
5. Abric de la Pareja
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Pareja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Abric de la Pareja. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Abric de la Pareja to Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Abric de la Pareja → Abric del Espolón del Zapatero is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero to Peñon de los machos
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero → Peñon de los machos is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Peñon de los machos to back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Peñon de los machos → back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero to Abric de la Pareja
back through Abric del Espolón del Zapatero → Abric de la Pareja is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.