Why this ride
212 km from Planes to Planes, about 4 h 53 of riding. On the way it passes Cueva de la Clau, Penya de Benicadell, Abric del Gegant and back through Penya de Benicadell.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranc de la Penya Blanca and Abric del Gegant
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 212 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 53
- 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 la Penya Blanca
Planes is a small village in the hills of the Comtat in northern Alicante province, crowned by a castle and looking out over a valley of olive and cherry orchards. The Barranc de la Penya Blanca, the ravine of the white rock, lies close by, among the folded limestone ridges between Planes, Benimarfull and the reservoir at Beniarrés.
Read the complete Barranc de la Penya Blanca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de la Penya Blanca is where the day begins. Next is Cueva de la Clau.
2. Cueva de la Clau
Behind Gandia, the orange groves climb into the folded limestone hills of La Safor, and among the tiny villages there, Palma de Gandía and Ador sit almost touching each other at the foot of the slopes. Cueva de la Clau is one of the many rock shelters in the Valencian hills that form part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, a scattered collection of hundreds of sites where prehistoric people painted hunters, animals, dancers and abstract signs on limestone overhangs.
Read the complete Cueva de la Clau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Clau comes up about 41 km into the recorded legs. Next is Penya de Benicadell.
3. Penya de Benicadell
From almost anywhere in the southern half of Valencia province you can see it: a long, jagged ridge of grey limestone with a sharp tooth at its eastern end, standing on the skyline like a broken saw. The Benicadell, at 1,104 metres, separates the Vall d'Albaida to the north from the Comtat to the south, and the sharp summit, the Penya, is the mountain's signature. At its foot lie the villages of Beniarrés, Ràfol de Salem and Otos.
Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 76 km into the recorded legs you reach Penya de Benicadell. Next is Abric del Gegant.
4. Abric del Gegant
Ontinyent is the kind of Valencian town that does not bother selling itself to tourists, which is part of its charm. It grew rich on textiles, and the old quarter of La Vila, perched above the gorge of the Clariano river, still has a fine bell tower that is among the tallest in the region. The Abric del Gegant, a rock shelter recorded among the prehistoric painted sites of eastern Spain, sits in the hills just outside town towards Bocairent, where the valley narrows and the Serra de Mariola begins to rise.
Read the complete Abric del Gegant write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric del Gegant, about halfway. Next is back through Penya de Benicadell.
5. back through Penya de Benicadell
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Penya de Benicadell sits at 99 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cueva de la Clau.
6. back through Cueva de la Clau
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de la Clau 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 la Clau comes up about 171 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranc de la Penya Blanca.
7. Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de la Penya Blanca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de la Penya Blanca closes the day.
Leg by leg
Barranc de la Penya Blanca to Cueva de la Clau
Barranc de la Penya Blanca → Cueva de la Clau is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Clau to Penya de Benicadell
Cueva de la Clau → Penya de Benicadell is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Penya de Benicadell to Abric del Gegant
Penya de Benicadell → Abric del Gegant is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Gegant to back through Penya de Benicadell
Abric del Gegant → back through Penya de Benicadell is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Penya de Benicadell to back through Cueva de la Clau
back through Penya de Benicadell → back through Cueva de la Clau is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de la Clau to Barranc de la Penya Blanca
back through Cueva de la Clau → Barranc de la Penya Blanca is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.