Why this ride
From Caspe it runs 123 km to Caspe; allow about 2 h 47 of riding. It goes by way of Els Secans, Cueva de mas del Abogat and back through Els Secans.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido and Cueva de mas del Abogat
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 123 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 47
- 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 Plano del Pulido
South of Caspe, the lower Aragón country is a dry, sculpted landscape of ochre hills, flat-topped mesas and gullies cut into soft sandstone, with almond and olive groves clinging to the valley floors. In these sandstone outcrops, prehistoric people found shelter and left paintings, and the Abrigo del Plano del Pulido is one of the rock shelters of the area included in the World Heritage site of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The painted figures, in the reddish tones of Levantine art, are small and faded, and as at most of these sites, access is controlled and visits may need to be arranged in advance.
Read the complete Abrigo del Plano del Pulido write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido is where the day begins. Next is Els Secans.
2. Els Secans
The lower Matarraña, in the far east of Aragón, is a drier, emptier country than the green upper valley. Here, the river flows through low hills of sandstone and limestone, with olive groves, almond trees and cereal fields, and the villages stand on hilltops, built of golden stone. Mazaleón is one of them, a small village above the river, with Maella and Calaceite nearby. Els Secans, a name meaning the dry lands, is a shelter with prehistoric paintings in the hills just outside the village.
Read the complete Els Secans write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Els Secans comes up about 40 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cueva de mas del Abogat.
3. Cueva de mas del Abogat
Calaceite is the kind of village that makes you slow down without being asked: honey-coloured stone, arcaded squares, a big baroque church and grand old houses with carved doorways, all perched on a ridge in the Matarraña, the corner of Teruel where Aragón meets Catalonia and Valencia. A few kilometres from it lies the Cueva de Mas del Abogat, one of the painted rock shelters that belong to the UNESCO listing of prehistoric art in the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula. As with its sisters across eastern Spain, the paintings are small and often hard to read; the setting is what you take away.
Read the complete Cueva de mas del Abogat write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 62 km into the recorded legs you reach Cueva de mas del Abogat. Next is back through Els Secans.
4. back through Els Secans
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Els Secans write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Els Secans, late in the day. Next is Abrigo del Plano del Pulido.
5. Abrigo del Plano del Pulido
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo del Plano del Pulido write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Abrigo del Plano del Pulido. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido to Els Secans
Abrigo del Plano del Pulido → Els Secans is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Els Secans to Cueva de mas del Abogat
Els Secans → Cueva de mas del Abogat is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de mas del Abogat to back through Els Secans
Cueva de mas del Abogat → back through Els Secans is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Els Secans to Abrigo del Plano del Pulido
back through Els Secans → Abrigo del Plano del Pulido is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.