Why this ride
From Confrides it runs 116 km to Confrides; allow about 2 h 22 of riding. It goes by way of Barranc dels Garrofers, Abric de les Torrudanes and back through Barranc dels Garrofers. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranc de les Covatelles and Abric de les Torrudanes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 116 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 22
- 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 les Covatelles
Guadalest is a tiny village on a rock, entered through a tunnel cut in the stone, with a castle, a bell tower perched on a pinnacle and a view over a turquoise reservoir below. It is one of the most visited places in the province of Alicante, and it sits at the heart of a valley surrounded by mountains: the Aitana, the highest in the province at over fifteen hundred metres, the Serrella and the Xortà. The Barranc de les Covatelles is one of the ravines in this mountainous country, near Benimantell, Sella and Castell de Castells, with rock shelters that hold prehistoric paintings, one component of the World Heritage inscription for the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Barranc de les Covatelles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de les Covatelles is where the day begins. Next is Barranc dels Garrofers.
2. Barranc dels Garrofers
Between the towns of Alcoy and Gandia, the mountains of the northern Alicante province fold into a tangle of narrow valleys, and the barranc, the ravine, of the carob trees is a dry gully among them, a few kilometres from the villages of Planes and Beniarrés. The carob, or garrofer in Valencian, is a dark, leathery tree that has grown here for centuries, and its long brown pods were once used as animal feed and sweeteners. The land is rugged limestone, laced with terraces now mostly abandoned and covered in pines and rosemary.
Read the complete Barranc dels Garrofers write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc dels Garrofers comes up about 35 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de les Torrudanes.
3. Abric de les Torrudanes
In the Vall d'Ebo, a small valley in the mountains of northern Alicante, the Abric de les Torrudanes is a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, one of many in the area that form part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin World Heritage listing. The paintings include human figures and animals in the Levantine style, and the shelter's location, on a cliff above the valley, offers views over the mountains. Nearby, the Cova del Rull is a show cave with stalactites and stalagmites.
Read the complete Abric de les Torrudanes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 57 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de les Torrudanes. Next is back through Barranc dels Garrofers.
4. back through Barranc dels Garrofers
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc dels Garrofers write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Barranc dels Garrofers, late in the day. Next is Barranc de les Covatelles.
5. Barranc de les Covatelles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de les Covatelles 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 les Covatelles. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Barranc de les Covatelles to Barranc dels Garrofers
Barranc de les Covatelles → Barranc dels Garrofers is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc dels Garrofers to Abric de les Torrudanes
Barranc dels Garrofers → Abric de les Torrudanes is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Torrudanes to back through Barranc dels Garrofers
Abric de les Torrudanes → back through Barranc dels Garrofers is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc dels Garrofers to Barranc de les Covatelles
back through Barranc dels Garrofers → Barranc de les Covatelles is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.