Arroyo de martín Pérez and Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
344 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 35
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From El Campello it runs 344 km to El Campello; allow about 5 h 35 of riding. On the way it passes La Sarga- Abric I, Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l, La Sarga- Abric II and Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Arroyo de martín Pérez
Behind the Costa Blanca's hotel towers there is a quite different country, dry, stony and mostly empty, and the Arroyo de Martín Pérez belongs to it. An arroyo is a gully that stays dry for most of the year, and here, on the hills inland from El Campello and San Juan de Alicante, it carries the water away when the rains arrive. Those rains, when they come, come hard. Autumn storms on this coast can drop a month's water in a few hours, and the gullies fill suddenly, so check the forecast before you go poking about dry beds.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Arroyo de martín Pérez is where the day begins. Next is La Sarga- Abric I.
2. La Sarga- Abric I
Alcoy, or Alcoi in Valencian, is a city of bridges, built where three rivers meet in deep ravines, in the mountains of northern Alicante. It was one of the cradles of Spain's industrial revolution, with textile and paper mills powered by its rivers, and its streets have fine modernist buildings from that era. It is also famous for its Moors and Christians festival in April, one of the most spectacular in Spain, with parades, music and mock battles in honour of Saint George. The rock shelters of La Sarga lie in the hills about eight kilometres from the city, toward Ibi.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Sarga- Abric I comes up 36 km in. Next is Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l.
3. Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
Castelló de Rugat sits on the southern rim of the Vall d'Albaida, a broad valley in the south of Valencia province hemmed in by mountain ridges. On one side rises the long saw-toothed crest of the Benicadell, on the other the Serra de la Solana, and between them lies a patchwork of vineyards, olive groves and small towns with church towers. The Barranc de les Coves, the ravine of the caves, cuts into the slopes near Castelló de Rugat, Ràfol de Salem and Beniarrés, and its first shelter holds painted figures.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
72 km in you reach Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l. Next is La Sarga- Abric II.
4. La Sarga- Abric II
La Sarga is a deep, rocky ravine that cuts into the hills north of Alcoi, and it is one of the most important rock art sites in eastern Spain. The paintings here include both the lively red figures of the Levantine tradition and the simpler schematic signs of later peoples, and some show deer, goats and human figures with striking detail. The site belongs to the Mediterranean Basin rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998, and it is carefully managed, so check access conditions before travelling. Abric II, one of the shelters, is part of the cluster.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Sarga- Abric II, about halfway. Next is Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II.
5. Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II
The word barranc means a ravine, and the Barranc de les Coves is exactly that, one of the many steep valleys that cut into the limestone mountains of the Comtat and Alcoià in the interior of Alicante province. This is a green country compared with the dry plains farther south, with forests of pine and holm oak, terraced slopes of cherry, almond and olive, and clear streams in the bottom of the gorges. Roads in the area link small villages such as Beniarrés, Ráfol de Salem and Castelló de Rugat, each with a church tower and a cluster of white houses.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 344 km.
Leg by leg
Arroyo de martín Pérez to La Sarga- Abric I
Arroyo de martín Pérez → La Sarga- Abric I is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Sarga- Abric I to Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
La Sarga- Abric I → Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l to La Sarga- Abric II
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l → La Sarga- Abric II is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Sarga- Abric II to Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II
La Sarga- Abric II → Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II to back through La Sarga- Abric II
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo II → back through La Sarga- Abric II is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Sarga- Abric II to back through Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
back through La Sarga- Abric II → back through Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l to back through La Sarga- Abric I
back through Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l → back through La Sarga- Abric I is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Sarga- Abric I to Arroyo de martín Pérez
back through La Sarga- Abric I → Arroyo de martín Pérez is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.