Why this ride
A 358 km round trip from Jumilla - roughly 6 h 06 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abrigo de los Cortijos, El Laberinto, La Higuera and Abrigo del Pozo III. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abrigo del Buen Aire I and Abrigo del Pozo III
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 358 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Abrigo del Buen Aire I
Jumilla country is dry, wide and honest. The town sits in the far north of Murcia where it bulges up towards Albacete, surrounded by limestone sierras, almond groves and vineyards of Monastrell grapes that make some of the most powerful red wine in Spain. A few kilometres outside town, in the folds of these hills, lie a group of small rock shelters known as the Abrigos del Buen Aire. They belong to the long chain of prehistoric painted sites strung along the eastern side of the peninsula that UNESCO lists together as the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Abrigo del Buen Aire I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del Buen Aire I is where the day begins. Next is Abrigo de los Cortijos.
2. Abrigo de los Cortijos
Hellín is a town in the south-east of Albacete province, on the edge of the dry plains of La Mancha, where the landscape breaks into hills and ravines on its way down to the Segura river. Its old town climbs a hill crowned by a castle, and its streets are lined with houses from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Abrigo de los Cortijos lies in the hills about nine kilometres from the town, toward Albatana and Tobarra.
Read the complete Abrigo de los Cortijos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo de los Cortijos comes up about 37 km into the recorded legs. Next is El Laberinto.
3. El Laberinto
Calasparra is a rice town, which sounds odd until you see the terraces beside the Segura river, flooded and green in summer, with herons wading between the plants. The rice here has its own protected designation, and it is the base for paella in much of Spain. The river has carved a deep gorge, the Almadenes canyon, on its way through the hills, and in the rock above the water, hidden among limestone cliffs, there are shelters decorated with paintings made thousands of years ago. El Laberinto is one of them, part of the rock art tradition of the Mediterranean basin, listed by UNESCO.
Read the complete El Laberinto 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 El Laberinto. Next is La Higuera.
4. La Higuera
Hellín sits on a ridge between the plains of La Mancha and the dry valleys of Murcia, and the countryside around La Higuera is a lesson in how many shades of ochre a landscape can have. The region is cut by gorges and low sierras of red and yellow rock, with almond trees, esparto grass and pale scrub. The shelters of this part of Albacete, particularly those near Minateda, are among the most important sites of Levantine rock art in Spain, and they form part of the Mediterranean-arc ensemble UNESCO listed in 1998.
Read the complete La Higuera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Higuera, about halfway. Next is Abrigo del Pozo III.
5. Abrigo del Pozo III
The Segura river cuts through the north-west of Murcia in a series of gorges and green oases, and near Calasparra its banks hold a surprising treasure. The Abrigo del Pozo shelters, of which this is the third, contain prehistoric paintings in the Levantine style, small human and animal figures in red ochre that form part of the World Heritage rock art of the Mediterranean arc. The shelters are fragile and generally protected, often visited only with a guide, so check with the local tourist office before you count on seeing them.
Read the complete Abrigo del Pozo III write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del Pozo III sits at 140 km, about halfway. Next is back through La Higuera.
6. back through La Higuera
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Higuera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through La Higuera comes up about 234 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through El Laberinto.
7. back through El Laberinto
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete El Laberinto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 277 km into the recorded legs you reach back through El Laberinto. Next is back through Abrigo de los Cortijos.
8. back through Abrigo de los Cortijos
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo de los Cortijos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abrigo de los Cortijos, late in the day. Next is Abrigo del Buen Aire I.
9. Abrigo del Buen Aire I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo del Buen Aire I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 358 km.
Leg by leg
Abrigo del Buen Aire I to Abrigo de los Cortijos
Abrigo del Buen Aire I → Abrigo de los Cortijos is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo de los Cortijos to El Laberinto
Abrigo de los Cortijos → El Laberinto is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
El Laberinto to La Higuera
El Laberinto → La Higuera is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Higuera to Abrigo del Pozo III
La Higuera → Abrigo del Pozo III is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Pozo III to back through La Higuera
Abrigo del Pozo III → back through La Higuera is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Higuera to back through El Laberinto
back through La Higuera → back through El Laberinto is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through El Laberinto to back through Abrigo de los Cortijos
back through El Laberinto → back through Abrigo de los Cortijos is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo de los Cortijos to Abrigo del Buen Aire I
back through Abrigo de los Cortijos → Abrigo del Buen Aire I is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.