Why this ride
188 km from Mogente to Mogente, about 3 h 57 of riding. It goes by way of Abric de les finestres IV, Abric de la Penya Banyà, Abric del Pontet and Coveta del mig- Abric I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric de la Penya and Coveta del mig- Abric I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 188 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 57
- 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 Penya
Moixent, or Mogente in Castilian, stands at the head of a corridor that has carried traffic between the Valencian coast and the interior of Castile for as long as anyone has been moving goods. The old road, the railway and now the motorway all funnel through here, between low limestone ridges with vineyards and olive groves in the valley floor. The rock shelter known as the Abric de la Penya sits in this landscape a few kilometres from the town, close also to Vallada.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Penya is where the day begins. Next is Abric de les finestres IV.
2. Abric de les finestres IV
Bocairent is a village built on a rock, its old houses clinging to a limestone spur above a ravine in the Serra de Mariola, in the south of the province of Valencia. Across the ravine, in the cliff face, a row of small square openings looks out like windows: these are the Covetes dels Moros, a series of artificial caves cut into the rock, connected by internal passages, whose purpose is still debated. They may have been granaries, refuges or even a monastery, and their name means the little caves of the Moors.
Read the complete Abric de les finestres IV write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de les finestres IV comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de la Penya Banyà.
3. Abric de la Penya Banyà
Somewhere in the limestone folds around Cocentaina, under an overhang of rock, people painted small figures thousands of years before anyone here had heard of Rome. The rock shelters of this part of Alicante belong to the great family of Mediterranean rock art that runs down the eastern side of Spain, recognised together by UNESCO, and the Abric de la Penya Banyà is one of these quiet, unassuming sites. Expect faded red pigment on pale stone, often protected behind a grille, and a short walk from the nearest track rather than a visitor centre.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya Banyà write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 43 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de la Penya Banyà. Next is Abric del Pontet.
4. Abric del Pontet
The Serra de Mariola is the green heart of the Valencia-Alicante borderlands, a mountain range of pine, holm oak and aromatic scrub that feeds the rivers Vinalopó and Clariano and perfumes the air with thyme and rosemary. The Abric del Pontet is one of its rock shelters, a small overhang with prehistoric paintings, part of the scattered UNESCO site that gathers the rock art of Mediterranean Spain. It sits between Bocairent, Alfafara and Ontinyent, and it is the kind of place that makes most sense as an excuse to explore the villages around it.
Read the complete Abric del Pontet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del Pontet, about halfway. Next is Coveta del mig- Abric I.
5. Coveta del mig- Abric I
Otos is a tiny village in the Vall d'Albaida, in the south of Valencia province, and it has an unusual claim to fame: its walls are decorated with dozens of sundials, designed by artists and scattered through the streets, making the village a kind of open-air museum of time. Nearby, in the hills around Otos, Bèlgida and Ráfol de Salem, prehistoric people left paintings in rock shelters, and the Coveta del Mig is one of the sites included in the World Heritage site of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. The art here includes schematic figures, simplified human and animal forms, and the area is part of a rich zone of rock art that extends into the mountains of the Alicante province to the south.
Read the complete Coveta del mig- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coveta del mig- Abric I sits at 73 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric del Pontet.
6. back through Abric del Pontet
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric del Pontet 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 Pontet comes up about 121 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Abric de la Penya Banyà.
7. back through Abric de la Penya Banyà
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya Banyà write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 143 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Abric de la Penya Banyà. Next is back through Abric de les finestres IV.
8. back through Abric de les finestres IV
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de les finestres IV write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de les finestres IV, late in the day. Next is Abric de la Penya.
9. Abric de la Penya
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya 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 188 km.
Leg by leg
Abric de la Penya to Abric de les finestres IV
Abric de la Penya → Abric de les finestres IV is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les finestres IV to Abric de la Penya Banyà
Abric de les finestres IV → Abric de la Penya Banyà is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Penya Banyà to Abric del Pontet
Abric de la Penya Banyà → Abric del Pontet is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Pontet to Coveta del mig- Abric I
Abric del Pontet → Coveta del mig- Abric I is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Coveta del mig- Abric I to back through Abric del Pontet
Coveta del mig- Abric I → back through Abric del Pontet is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric del Pontet to back through Abric de la Penya Banyà
back through Abric del Pontet → back through Abric de la Penya Banyà is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Penya Banyà to back through Abric de les finestres IV
back through Abric de la Penya Banyà → back through Abric de les finestres IV is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de les finestres IV to Abric de la Penya
back through Abric de les finestres IV → Abric de la Penya is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.