Why this ride
From Alcañiz it runs 260 km to Alcañiz; allow about 6 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of Valcomuna, Caídas del Salbimec, Abrigo del Plano del Pulido and back through Caídas del Salbimec.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric del mas de Barberà and Abrigo del Plano del Pulido
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 260 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 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 del mas de Barberà
Alcañiz is the capital of the Bajo Aragón, a region of olive groves, cereal fields and dry hills crossed by the Guadalope river in the south-east of Aragón. The town is crowned by a castle built for the Order of Calatrava, now a parador, and its main square, with a Gothic loggia and the town hall, is one of the finest in the region. The shelter of the Mas de Barberà lies in the hills just outside town, toward Castelserás and Calanda.
Read the complete Abric del mas de Barberà write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del mas de Barberà is where the day begins. Next is Valcomuna.
2. Valcomuna
Lower Aragon is a country of dry hills, olive groves and red earth, and in its ravines people painted on the rock thousands of years ago. Valcomuna is one of those rock art sites, between Alcañiz and Caspe near the village of Maella, part of the great family of painted shelters running down Spain's Mediterranean side that UNESCO listed as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The figures in this tradition are small and lively, archers, deer, goats and people in motion, painted in red and black under overhangs where the weather could not wash them away.
Read the complete Valcomuna write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Valcomuna comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Caídas del Salbimec.
3. Caídas del Salbimec
The Matarraña, or Matarranya as most locals call it, is the corner of Aragón that feels Catalan, Valencian and Aragonese at once, and it has quietly become one of the most rewarding regions in Spain to explore on two wheels. The shelter known as Caídas del Salbimec lies in the hills between Valdeltormo, Mazaleón and Calaceite, one of the many prehistoric art sites along the eastern edge of the peninsula that are protected together by UNESCO. The paintings are modest, and access may involve a rough track and a walk, but the setting is typical of the region: a sandstone outcrop above olive groves and almond terraces, with the river cutting below.
Read the complete Caídas del Salbimec write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 80 km into the recorded legs you reach Caídas del Salbimec. Next is Abrigo del Plano del Pulido.
4. Abrigo del Plano del Pulido
South of Caspe, the lower Aragón country is a dry, sculpted landscape of ochre hills, flat-topped mesas and gullies cut into soft sandstone, with almond and olive groves clinging to the valley floors. In these sandstone outcrops, prehistoric people found shelter and left paintings, and the Abrigo del Plano del Pulido is one of the rock shelters of the area included in the World Heritage site of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The painted figures, in the reddish tones of Levantine art, are small and faded, and as at most of these sites, access is controlled and visits may need to be arranged in advance.
Read the complete Abrigo del Plano del Pulido write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido, about halfway. Next is back through Caídas del Salbimec.
5. back through Caídas del Salbimec
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Caídas del Salbimec write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Caídas del Salbimec sits at 104 km, about halfway. Next is back through Valcomuna.
6. back through Valcomuna
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Valcomuna write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Valcomuna comes up about 226 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del mas de Barberà.
7. Abric del mas de Barberà
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric del mas de Barberà write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del mas de Barberà closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric del mas de Barberà to Valcomuna
Abric del mas de Barberà → Valcomuna is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Valcomuna to Caídas del Salbimec
Valcomuna → Caídas del Salbimec is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Caídas del Salbimec to Abrigo del Plano del Pulido
Caídas del Salbimec → Abrigo del Plano del Pulido is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido to back through Caídas del Salbimec
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido → back through Caídas del Salbimec is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Caídas del Salbimec to back through Valcomuna
back through Caídas del Salbimec → back through Valcomuna is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Valcomuna to Abric del mas de Barberà
back through Valcomuna → Abric del mas de Barberà is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.