Why this ride
A 395 km round trip from Bullas - roughly 7 h 26 in the saddle. It goes by way of Los Grajos I, Cueva del Peliciego, Olula and Abric de Gontrán. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abrigo del milano and Abric de Gontrán
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 395 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 26
- 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 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 is where the day begins. Next is Los Grajos I.
2. 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.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Los Grajos I comes up about 45 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cueva del Peliciego.
3. Cueva del Peliciego
Jumilla is wine. This town in the north of Murcia sits in a high, dry valley surrounded by bare mountains, and its vineyards, planted with the Monastrell grape, produce powerful red wines under the Jumilla designation of origin, one of the oldest in Spain. The Cueva del Peliciego, a rock shelter in the hills near the town, holds prehistoric paintings in the Levantine style, and it has been known since the early twentieth century, when it was one of the first rock art sites studied in the region.
Read the complete Cueva del Peliciego write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 91 km into the recorded legs you reach Cueva del Peliciego. Next is Olula.
4. Olula
Caudete and Almansa sit in a corridor of land where Castile-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia meet, and for centuries this was frontier country, where kingdoms and armies passed and fought. Olula is a point in the hills near Caudete, linked on the rides with rock-art shelters in the surrounding sierras, part of the extensive UNESCO listing of prehistoric art in Mediterranean Spain.
Read the complete Olula write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Olula, about halfway. Next is Abric de Gontrán.
5. Abric de Gontrán
Head south-west from Xàtiva along the old road to Castile and you climb gently into a corridor between two mountain ranges, the Serra Grossa on one side and the Serra de Enguera on the other. The town of Moixent sits where the corridor narrows, with Vallada just downstream and the vineyards of Fontanars dels Alforins on the plateau beyond. The Abric de Gontran lies in the hills just outside Moixent.
Read the complete Abric de Gontrán write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de Gontrán sits at 170 km, about halfway. Next is back through Olula.
6. back through Olula
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Olula write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Olula comes up about 242 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Cueva del Peliciego.
7. back through Cueva del Peliciego
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva del Peliciego write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 303 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Cueva del Peliciego. Next is back through Los Grajos I.
8. back through Los Grajos I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Los Grajos I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Los Grajos I, late in the day. Next is Abrigo del milano.
9. 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
The route ends here after 395 km.
Leg by leg
Abrigo del milano to Los Grajos I
Abrigo del milano → Los Grajos I is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos I to Cueva del Peliciego
Los Grajos I → Cueva del Peliciego is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva del Peliciego to Olula
Cueva del Peliciego → Olula is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Olula to Abric de Gontrán
Olula → Abric de Gontrán is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de Gontrán to back through Olula
Abric de Gontrán → back through Olula is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Olula to back through Cueva del Peliciego
back through Olula → back through Cueva del Peliciego is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva del Peliciego to back through Los Grajos I
back through Cueva del Peliciego → back through Los Grajos I is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Los Grajos I to Abrigo del milano
back through Los Grajos I → Abrigo del milano is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.