Barranc de la falaguera- Abric I and Peñón de Santo Espíritu

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Barranc de la falaguera- Abric I

   Alginet sits in the Ribera Alta, the flat, fertile plain south of Valencia where the Júcar river spreads out among orange groves, rice fields and small towns. To the west, the plain meets the first hills of the interior, low ridges of limestone covered in pine and scrub. The Barranc de la Falaguera, the ravine of the fern, cuts into these hills near Alginet, Alfarp and Benifaió.

   Read the complete Barranc de la falaguera- 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 la falaguera- Abric I is where the day begins. Next is Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I.

2. 2. Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I

   West of Valencia, the river Turia leaves the mountains through a series of deep gorges, and around the villages of Gestalgar, Sot de Chera and Chulilla, the landscape turns dramatic: limestone cliffs, pine-covered slopes and the river winding green below. In a side ravine near Gestalgar, the Barranco de las Colochas shelters a handful of painted panels that UNESCO counts among the Mediterranean rock art of Iberia. The figures are faint, but the setting is worth the effort on its own.

   Read the complete Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Peñón de Santo Espíritu.

3. 3. Peñón de Santo Espíritu

   Behind the orange groves of the Camp de Morvedre, a few kilometres inland from Sagunto, the land rises into the Sierra Calderona, a low range of pine woods, scrub and red sandstone that separates the coastal plain from the dry interior. The Peñón de Santo Espíritu is a rocky outcrop in these hills above the village of Gilet, and it carries prehistoric rock art in the Levantine tradition, the style of painted hunters, animals and human figures found in shelters along the Mediterranean side of Spain and listed by UNESCO as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The paintings are fragile and often protected, so do not expect to wander up and touch anything.

   Read the complete Peñón de Santo Espíritu write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 151 km into the recorded legs you reach Peñón de Santo Espíritu. Next is back through Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I.

4. 4. back through Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Barranco de las Colochas- Abrigo I, late in the day. Next is Barranc de la falaguera- Abric I.

5. 5. Barranc de la falaguera- Abric I

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Barranc de la falaguera- 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 la falaguera- Abric I. That is the ride.