Why this ride
348 km from Tormos to Tormos, about 6 h 48 of riding. The stops in between: Barranc de frainos- Abric I, Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I, Abric de la Gleda and Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barraac de la Palla and Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 348 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 48
- 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. Barraac de la Palla
Tormos and Sagra are tiny villages at the foot of the mountains in the north of Alicante province, at the point where the plain of the Marina Alta meets the hills. They are surrounded by orange groves and orchards, with the mountains of the Vall de Laguar and the Serra del Migdia rising steeply behind. The Barranc de la Palla, the ravine of the straw, cuts into the hills near Tormos, close also to Orba and the town of Pego.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barraac de la Palla is where the day begins. Next is Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
2. Barranc de frainos- Abric I
The mountains behind Benidorm are a world away from the high-rise hotels and the beaches. Inland from the Costa Blanca, the land rises quickly into a jumble of limestone ridges, the highest of which, the Serra d'Aitana, reaches over fifteen hundred metres, the roof of the province of Alicante. Between Sella, Benilloba and Relleu, deep in this rugged country, the Barranc de Frainos holds a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The sites here are small and fragile, and access is usually limited to guided visits, but the landscape is worth the journey.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de frainos- Abric I comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I.
3. Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I
The painted shelter of Barranc d'Alpadull sits in the folds of the Serra de Mariola, the limestone massif that rises between Bocairent, Alfafara and Agres in the inland corner where Valencia, Alicante and the old kingdom's hill country all meet. It is one of the many small overhangs in eastern Spain that carry Levantine rock art, the group of sites inscribed together by UNESCO as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. Do not expect a museum. These are faint, reddish figures under a lip of stone, usually fenced, often hard to read unless the light is low and raking, and part of the pleasure is simply knowing that hunters drew here thousands of years before anyone thought of building a road up this valley.
Read the complete Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 102 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I. Next is Abric de la Gleda.
4. Abric de la Gleda
Cocentaina is a small town with a surprisingly grand palace, and it makes a handy reference point for this corner of the Comtat. The Palau Comtal, a fortified residence from the Middle Ages, stands in the centre, and the town holds one of the oldest fairs in Spain, the Fira de Tots Sants, each year around All Saints' Day. Just down the valley is Alcoi, an industrial town built on paper and textiles, whose steep streets hold Modernista buildings and a famous festival of Moors and Christians. The villages of Planes and Beniarrés, a few kilometres away, are pastoral by comparison, and the Abric de la Gleda lies in the cliffs above one of the ravines that cut into the Serra de Mariola.
Read the complete Abric de la Gleda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Gleda, about halfway. Next is Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II.
5. Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II
Bocairent is a strange and beautiful town, and the hills around it are among the lesser-known gems of Valencian inland. It sits on a rocky spur above a gorge, with a medieval quarter of steep, narrow streets and a baroque church, and in the cliffs below the town are cave dwellings called the Covetes dels Moros, hollows cut into the rock that have been used as homes, storehouses and shelters for centuries. Beyond the town, in the Serra de Mariola, there are also old stone ice-houses, the neveres, in which snow was packed in winter and sold in summer. The Barranc d'Alpadull lies only three and a half kilometres away.
Read the complete Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II sits at 137 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric de la Gleda.
6. back through Abric de la Gleda
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Gleda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de la Gleda comes up about 208 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I.
7. back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 246 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I. Next is back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
8. back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Barraac de la Palla.
9. Barraac de la Palla
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla 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 348 km.
Leg by leg
Barraac de la Palla to Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Barraac de la Palla → Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I
Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I to Abric de la Gleda
Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I → Abric de la Gleda is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Gleda to Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II
Abric de la Gleda → Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II to back through Abric de la Gleda
Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric II → back through Abric de la Gleda is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Gleda to back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I
back through Abric de la Gleda → back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I to back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
back through Barranc d'Alpadull- Abric I → back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Barraac de la Palla
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Barraac de la Palla is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.