Why this ride
339 km from Benasau to Benasau, about 5 h 18 of riding. On the way it passes Coves Santes de Dalt, Abric de Lambert and back through Coves Santes de Dalt. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranc de frainos- Abric I and Abric de Lambert
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 339 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 18
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Coves Santes de Dalt.
2. Coves Santes de Dalt
The Montgó is the great limestone hulk that rises between Dénia and Jávea on the Costa Blanca, a mountain that looks like a sleeping elephant from some angles and dominates every view along this stretch of coast. On its flanks, in shelters and small caves, are prehistoric paintings, and the Coves Santes de Dalt, the upper holy caves, are among the sites in the area recorded as part of the UNESCO Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The paintings here are mostly schematic, simpler and more abstract than the hunting scenes found inland, and the shelters are protected, so viewing usually needs a guided visit.
Read the complete Coves Santes de Dalt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Santes de Dalt comes up about 88 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de Lambert.
3. Abric de Lambert
Cullera is not where most people would look for prehistory. It is a busy beach town at the mouth of the Júcar, with high-rise apartments along the sand, a lighthouse on the point and rice fields stretching inland toward the Albufera lagoon. But the town has a mountain at its back, a limestone outcrop crowned by a castle and a sanctuary, and in that rock there are shelters, including the one known as the Abric de Lambert.
Read the complete Abric de Lambert write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 169 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de Lambert. Next is back through Coves Santes de Dalt.
4. back through Coves Santes de Dalt
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Coves Santes de Dalt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Coves Santes de Dalt, late in the day. Next is Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
5. 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 at Barranc de frainos- Abric I. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Coves Santes de Dalt
Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Coves Santes de Dalt is 88 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Coves Santes de Dalt to Abric de Lambert
Coves Santes de Dalt → Abric de Lambert is 81 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Abric de Lambert to back through Coves Santes de Dalt
Abric de Lambert → back through Coves Santes de Dalt is 83 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Coves Santes de Dalt to Barranc de frainos- Abric I
back through Coves Santes de Dalt → Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 88 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.