Why this ride
343 km from Ontinyent to Ontinyent, about 8 h 06 of riding. It goes by way of Abric de la Balsa Calicanto, Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I and back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric del Pontet and Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 343 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 06
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Abric de la Balsa Calicanto → Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I
100 km on Abric de la Balsa Calicanto → Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 100 km
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 Abric de la Balsa Calicanto.
2. Abric de la Balsa Calicanto
Bicorp is a village of just over six hundred people in the dry, broken country where the Valencian interior folds into the gorges of the Júcar and the Cabriel, and the Balsa Calicanto shelter lies about four kilometres from it. Rock art is at home here. In the same municipality, the Cueva de la Araña, the Spider Cave, holds one of the best-known scenes in Spanish prehistoric painting: a small figure climbing what look like ropes or vines to raid a wild bees' nest, honey bag in hand. It was painted by hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago, and it is part of the UNESCO-listed Levantine rock art. Many of the other shelters nearby are more modest, and Calicanto is one of those.
Read the complete Abric de la Balsa Calicanto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Balsa Calicanto comes up about 69 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I.
3. Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I
West of Valencia, the river Turia leaves the mountains through a series of deep gorges, and around the villages of Gestalgar, Sot de Chera and Chulilla, the landscape turns dramatic: limestone cliffs, pine-covered slopes and the river winding green below. In a side ravine near Gestalgar, the Barranco de las Colochas shelters a handful of painted panels that UNESCO counts among the Mediterranean rock art of Iberia. The figures are faint, but the setting is worth the effort on its own.
Read the complete Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 169 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I. Next is back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto.
4. back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Balsa Calicanto 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 la Balsa Calicanto, late in the day. Next is Abric del Pontet.
5. 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 at Abric del Pontet. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Abric del Pontet to Abric de la Balsa Calicanto
Abric del Pontet → Abric de la Balsa Calicanto is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Balsa Calicanto to Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I
Abric de la Balsa Calicanto → Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I is 100 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I to back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto
Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I → back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto to Abric del Pontet
back through Abric de la Balsa Calicanto → Abric del Pontet is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.