Why this ride
319 km from Cocentaina to Cocentaina, about 6 h 24 of riding. It goes by way of Pla de Petracos- Abric I, Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I, Abric de les Torrudanes and Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranc de mastec and Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 319 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 24
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 mastec
Between Cocentaina and Alcoy, in the hilly interior of Alicante province, a small ravine called the Barranc de Mastec holds rock shelters with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. This corner of Spain is particularly rich in it, with styles ranging from the naturalistic Levantine figures of hunters and animals to the strange, abstract macro-schematic art that seems unique to these valleys. The ravine is surrounded by terraced olive and almond groves, pine woods and limestone crags.
Read the complete Barranc de mastec write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de mastec is where the day begins. Next is Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
2. Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Pla de Petracos is one of the most important prehistoric art sites in Spain, and it looks like nothing much: a row of shallow shelters in the side of a ravine near Castell de Castells, in the high interior of the Marina Alta. What makes it special is the style. The paintings here are among the clearest examples of what archaeologists call Macroschematic art, large, bold, almost abstract human figures with raised arms and serpentine forms, painted by the first farming communities of the region in the early Neolithic. Elsewhere in the Valencian mountains you find Levantine hunting scenes; here you find something stranger and more symbolic. A short path and viewing platforms make the panels accessible, and the information boards help you see what the eye misses at first.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pla de Petracos- Abric I comes up 34 km in. Next is Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I.
3. Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I
The Marina Alta is the northern Costa Blanca at its most mixed: villas on every slope, a ribbon of coast running from Moraira to Jávea, and just behind it, farm terraces, dry stone walls and small rock shelters where prehistoric people left their mark. The Cova de la Catxupa, near Teulada and Benitachell, is one of them, a shelter in the hills a few kilometres from the sea, listed with the other Mediterranean rock art of the Iberian Peninsula.
Read the complete Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
69 km in you reach Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I. Next is Abric de les Torrudanes.
4. 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
Abric de les Torrudanes, about halfway. Next is Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II.
5. Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II
Teulada is the town, and Moraira is its seaside annexe, and between them they hold most of what people know about this slice of the Costa Blanca. The Catxupa shelter lies just outside the town, which has some fourteen and a half thousand residents, many of them northern Europeans who came for the sun and stayed. The old centre of Teulada, though, remains a Valencian one, with a fortified parish church and narrow lanes that fill with the smell of coffee and baking at midday.
Read the complete Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II sits at 137 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric de les Torrudanes.
6. back through Abric de les Torrudanes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Abric de les Torrudanes comes up 171 km in. Next is back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I.
7. back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
206 km in you reach back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I. Next is back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
8. back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Barranc de mastec.
9. Barranc de mastec
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de mastec write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 319 km.
Leg by leg
Barranc de mastec to Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Barranc de mastec → Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pla de Petracos- Abric I to Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I
Pla de Petracos- Abric I → Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I to Abric de les Torrudanes
Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I → Abric de les Torrudanes is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Torrudanes to Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II
Abric de les Torrudanes → Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II to back through Abric de les Torrudanes
Cova de la Catxupa- Abric II → back through Abric de les Torrudanes is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de les Torrudanes to back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I
back through Abric de les Torrudanes → back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I to back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I → back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I to Barranc de mastec
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I → Barranc de mastec is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.