Why this ride
From Olocau it runs 131 km to Olocau; allow about 3 h 35 of riding. It goes by way of Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga, La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia and back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Balma de la fabriqueta and La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia starting at Olocau
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 131 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 35
- 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. Balma de la fabriqueta
The Serra Calderona is the green ridge that rises north-west of Valencia, separating the city's plain from the valleys of the interior. It is a natural park of pine forest, cork oak and rocky hills, close enough to the city for weekend walkers and riders, yet surprisingly wild once you get into it. The rock shelter of Balma de la Fabriqueta lies near the village of Olocau on its southern side, one of the painted shelters that make up the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO. Access to many of these sites is restricted or guided, so check with the local tourist office before trying to visit.
Read the complete Balma de la fabriqueta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Balma de la fabriqueta is where the day begins. Next is Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga.
2. Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga
The Serra Calderona runs between Valencia and Castellón like a green ridge behind the coast, and Náquera sits on its southern flank, a village of nearly four thousand people with views across the Camp de Túria orchards. A short way into the hills, a ravine with the name Aigua Amarga, bitter water, opens beside the Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga, a small shelter with prehistoric paintings, part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art listed by UNESCO in 1998. The figures are modest and the shelter is small, so it is a place for a patient look.
Read the complete Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia.
3. La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
In the heart of Valencia's old town, a Gothic building with crenellated walls and gargoyles looks more like a castle than a market, and that was rather the point. The Lonja de la Seda, the silk exchange, was built in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries when Valencia was one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean, and it was meant to show the power of its merchants. Its great hall, the Sala de Contratación, is one of the masterpieces of late Gothic architecture, with slender columns that twist like palm trunks up to a ribbed vault. It was listed by UNESCO in 1996.
Read the complete La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 64 km into the recorded legs you reach La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia. Next is back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga.
4. back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga, late in the day. Next is Balma de la fabriqueta.
5. Balma de la fabriqueta
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Balma de la fabriqueta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Balma de la fabriqueta. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Balma de la fabriqueta to Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga
Balma de la fabriqueta → Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga to La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga → La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia to back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia → back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga to Balma de la fabriqueta
back through Covacha de l'Aigua Amarga → Balma de la fabriqueta is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.