Why this ride
From Calasparra it runs 113 km to Calasparra; allow about 2 h 23 of riding. The stops in between: Los Grajos I, Abrigo del Canto Blanco and back through Los Grajos I. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
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.
From Calasparra it runs 113 km to Calasparra; allow about 2 h 23 of riding. The stops in between: Los Grajos I, Abrigo del Canto Blanco and back through Los Grajos I. The line favours views over speed.
Where the Río Segura squeezes through the sandstone and limestone ridges of northern Murcia, between Calasparra and Cieza, the valley turns into a canyon of orange and grey rock with narrow green strips of reeds and orchard along the water. The Abrigo de las Enredaderas, a rock shelter, lies twelve kilometres or so from both towns, in dry hills of pine, rosemary and esparto grass that smell sharply of resin on a hot day.
Read the complete Abrigo de las Enredaderas write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Abrigo de las Enredaderas is where the day begins. Next is Los Grajos I.
The painted women of Los Grajos are among the most famous figures in Spanish rock art. In a shelter in the limestone hills just outside Cieza, prehistoric painters depicted a group of human figures, several of them women with wide skirts and raised arms, often interpreted as dancers, alongside animals and other motifs. The Los Grajos shelters are part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, and they are protected, so visits need to be arranged with the local tourist office in Cieza.
Read the complete Los Grajos I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Los Grajos I comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abrigo del Canto Blanco.
Jumilla is wine country, and you know it as soon as you arrive. The town sits in the north of the Murcia region, surrounded by a high, dry plateau of vineyards growing the Monastrell grape, which produces powerful, dark red wines. A castle tops the hill above the old town, and the bodegas on its outskirts welcome visitors. The Abrigo del Canto Blanco, the shelter of the white stone, lies in the hills about five kilometres away.
Read the complete Abrigo del Canto Blanco write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 55 km into the recorded legs you reach Abrigo del Canto Blanco. Next is back through Los Grajos I.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Los Grajos I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Los Grajos I, late in the day. Next is Abrigo de las Enredaderas.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo de las Enredaderas write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Abrigo de las Enredaderas. That is the ride.
Abrigo de las Enredaderas → Los Grajos I is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos I → Abrigo del Canto Blanco is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Canto Blanco → back through Los Grajos I is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Los Grajos I → Abrigo de las Enredaderas is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.