Why this ride
A 200 km round trip from Ontinyent - roughly 3 h 43 in the saddle. The stops in between: La Sarga- Abric I, Coves Roges- Abric II, Barranc de Bolulla and back through Coves Roges- Abric II. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric del Pontet and Barranc de Bolulla
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 200 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 43
- 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 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 is where the day begins. Next is La Sarga- Abric I.
2. La Sarga- Abric I
Alcoy, or Alcoi in Valencian, is a city of bridges, built where three rivers meet in deep ravines, in the mountains of northern Alicante. It was one of the cradles of Spain's industrial revolution, with textile and paper mills powered by its rivers, and its streets have fine modernist buildings from that era. It is also famous for its Moors and Christians festival in April, one of the most spectacular in Spain, with parades, music and mock battles in honour of Saint George. The rock shelters of La Sarga lie in the hills about eight kilometres from the city, toward Ibi.
Read the complete La Sarga- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Sarga- Abric I comes up about 35 km into the recorded legs. Next is Coves Roges- Abric II.
3. Coves Roges- Abric II
The Serpis river runs through the green, folded country of the Comtat, west of Alcoi, and its valley is one of the prettiest in the Valencian interior. Planes, Benimarfull and Beniarrés are small villages in the hills, farming olive and almond and cherry, and the old Moorish heritage is easy to find in the narrow streets and the names. The Coves Roges, the Red Caves, are a series of rock shelters in the nearby cliffs, and they hold paintings that are part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art listed by UNESCO in 1998. Abric II is one of them, and the red paint on the rock is faint but clear.
Read the complete Coves Roges- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 62 km into the recorded legs you reach Coves Roges- Abric II. Next is Barranc de Bolulla.
4. Barranc de Bolulla
Bolulla is barely a village, a few hundred people tucked into a valley of the Marina Baixa behind Benidorm, and the ravine that carries its name cuts into the limestone hills just outside it. The mountains here are steep and close together, terraced for centuries with olives, almonds and loquats, and their caves and shelters hold traces of prehistoric painting that place this corner of Alicante within the wider family of Mediterranean rock art. What you see on the ground is a dry, rocky gully scented with pine and wild herbs, with the ruined castle of Bolulla perched on a ridge above, a reminder of the Moorish centuries when these valleys were densely settled.
Read the complete Barranc de Bolulla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de Bolulla, about halfway. Next is back through Coves Roges- Abric II.
5. back through Coves Roges- Abric II
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Coves Roges- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Coves Roges- Abric II sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through La Sarga- Abric I.
6. back through La Sarga- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Sarga- 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 La Sarga- Abric I comes up about 164 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del Pontet.
7. 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
Abric del Pontet closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric del Pontet to La Sarga- Abric I
Abric del Pontet → La Sarga- Abric I is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Sarga- Abric I to Coves Roges- Abric II
La Sarga- Abric I → Coves Roges- Abric II is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Coves Roges- Abric II to Barranc de Bolulla
Coves Roges- Abric II → Barranc de Bolulla is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de Bolulla to back through Coves Roges- Abric II
Barranc de Bolulla → back through Coves Roges- Abric II is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Coves Roges- Abric II to back through La Sarga- Abric I
back through Coves Roges- Abric II → back through La Sarga- Abric I is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Sarga- Abric I to Abric del Pontet
back through La Sarga- Abric I → Abric del Pontet is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.