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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Abrigo de la Esperilla and Solana del molinico

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
304 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 38
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.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A 304 km round trip from Velez Rubio - roughly 6 h 38 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abrigo del milano, Solana del molinico and back through Abrigo del milano. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Abrigo de la Esperilla

    Almería is known for its beaches and desert, but the north of the province holds a different landscape: high, dry limestone mountains with pine forests, almond groves and a series of rock shelters where prehistoric people painted. The Sierra de María-Los Vélez rises above two thousand metres, and around the town of Vélez-Blanco several shelters preserve paintings of the Levantine style, with small, lively red figures of hunters, animals and humans. UNESCO lists Spain's Levantine rock art as a World Heritage Site, and the Abrigo de la Esperilla is one of those painted places.

    Read the complete Abrigo de la Esperilla write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Abrigo de la Esperilla is where the day begins. Next is Abrigo del milano.

  2. 2. Abrigo del milano

    Bullas is wine country, and the vineyards of Monastrell grapes roll over the hills around the town in the northwest of Murcia, producing robust red wines under their own denomination of origin. The Abrigo del Milano, the kite's shelter, named after the bird of prey that circles over these hills, lies in the countryside between Bullas, Mula and Pliego. It is one of the many rock shelters in Murcia with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art, though access to many shelters is restricted to protect them, so ask locally before trying to visit.

    Read the complete Abrigo del milano write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Abrigo del milano comes up about 81 km into the recorded legs. Next is Solana del molinico.

  3. 3. Solana del molinico

    Socovos is the sort of village you only find by getting a little lost: a cluster of white houses below a ruined castle in the far southeast of Albacete province, where the plains of La Mancha give way to the tangled ridges of the Sierra de Segura. Solana del Molinico, close by, is one of the rock-art shelters in this corner of Spain that belong to the UNESCO listing for Levantine rock art. The word solana means a sun-facing slope, and many of these painted overhangs face south, catching the warmth on winter days just as they must have done when hunters and gatherers sheltered here.

    Read the complete Solana del molinico write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 155 km into the recorded legs you reach Solana del molinico. Next is back through Abrigo del milano.

  4. 4. back through Abrigo del milano

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Abrigo del milano write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Abrigo del milano, late in the day. Next is Abrigo de la Esperilla.

  5. 5. Abrigo de la Esperilla

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Abrigo de la Esperilla write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Back at Abrigo de la Esperilla. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

Abrigo de la Esperilla to Abrigo del milano

Abrigo de la Esperilla → Abrigo del milano is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Abrigo del milano to Solana del molinico

Abrigo del milano → Solana del molinico is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Solana del molinico to back through Abrigo del milano

Solana del molinico → back through Abrigo del milano is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Abrigo del milano to Abrigo de la Esperilla

back through Abrigo del milano → Abrigo de la Esperilla is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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