Why this ride
238 km from Calasparra to Calasparra, about 5 h 23 of riding. It goes by way of Cejo Cortado I, Los Grajos, maina and back through Los Grajos. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
238 km from Calasparra to Calasparra, about 5 h 23 of riding. It goes by way of Cejo Cortado I, Los Grajos, maina and back through Los Grajos. The line favours views over speed.
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Abrigo del Pozo III is where the day begins. Next is Cejo Cortado I.
Mula is a town in the heart of the Murcia region, built on the slopes of a hill crowned by a sixteenth-century castle, with an old quarter of narrow streets, noble houses and churches. Around it, a dry landscape of hills, ravines and badlands opens out, with orchards and olive groves along the river. The Cejo Cortado, a name meaning the cut brow, refers to a rocky escarpment with prehistoric shelters about seven kilometres from the town, between Mula, Albudeite and Ricote.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Cejo Cortado I comes up 32 km in. Next is Los Grajos.
Jackdaws gave this place its name, grajos in Spanish, and they still wheel and chatter around the limestone cliffs where prehistoric people once sheltered and painted. Los Grajos lies in the hills near Alhama de Murcia, in the valley of the Guadalentín, where dry mountains rise above a plain of orchards, greenhouses and towns. The rock shelters here hold paintings in the Levantine style, and access is generally restricted to protect them.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
63 km in you reach Los Grajos. Next is maina.
Maina is an obscure name on the map in the Murcian hills north-west of Totana, where the Sierra Espuña rises above the valley of the Guadalentín. It refers to a rock shelter or painted site in the dry limestone country, part of the cluster of prehistoric art sites around here included in the World Heritage listing of Levantine rock art. As with many such places, there is often little to see without a guide, but the landscape around it is worth the ride.
Read the complete maina write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
maina, about halfway. Next is back through Los Grajos.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Los Grajos sits at 126 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cejo Cortado I.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Cejo Cortado I comes up 158 km in. Next is Abrigo del Pozo III.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo del Pozo III write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Abrigo del Pozo III closes the day.
Abrigo del Pozo III → Cejo Cortado I is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I → Los Grajos is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos → maina is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
maina → back through Los Grajos is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Los Grajos → back through Cejo Cortado I is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cejo Cortado I → Abrigo del Pozo III is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.