Barranc d'en Grau and Olula

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Barranc d'en Grau

   Marina Alta is the part of Alicante that most visitors know from the beach, but behind the coast the landscape rises into limestone ravines that feel closer to Mallorca than to a resort. The Barranc d'en Grau is one of those clefts, in the hills above Villalonga and the upper reaches of the Vall d'Ebo. The painted shelter in the neighbouring ravine is among a number of rock-art sites in the region, sharing the Levantine style with sites farther north: red figures of hunters, animals and symbols that were painted long before any Roman set foot here.

   Read the complete Barranc d'en Grau write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Barranc d'en Grau is where the day begins. Next is Cueva de los Arcos.

2. 2. Cueva de los Arcos

   Behind the Costa Blanca, only a few kilometres from the busy beaches of El Campello and the high-rises of Benidorm, the land climbs steeply into limestone mountains that feel surprisingly wild. The Cabeçó d'Or, a jagged massif above the village of Busot, dominates the area, and its slopes are riddled with caves and shelters. The Cueva de los Arcos is one of the sites in this area included in the World Heritage inscription of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, with faint painted motifs on the rock. Nearby, the Cuevas del Canelobre, a huge cave with towering stalactites, is open for visits and is one of the most impressive show caves in the region.

   Read the complete Cueva de los Arcos write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Cueva de los Arcos comes up 83 km in. Next is Olula.

3. 3. Olula

   Caudete and Almansa sit in a corridor of land where Castile-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia meet, and for centuries this was frontier country, where kingdoms and armies passed and fought. Olula is a point in the hills near Caudete, linked on the rides with rock-art shelters in the surrounding sierras, part of the extensive UNESCO listing of prehistoric art in Mediterranean Spain.

   Read the complete Olula write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   166 km in you reach Olula. Next is back through Cueva de los Arcos.

4. 4. Back to Barranc d'en Grau

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Barranc d'en Grau write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Cueva de los Arcos, late in the day. Next is Barranc d'en Grau.

5. 5. Barranc d'en Grau

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Barranc d'en Grau write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Barranc d'en Grau. That is the ride.