Barranc del Salt- Abric l and Abric de Lambert

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Barranc del Salt- Abric l

   Benilloba is a tiny village in the Comtat, the mountainous district north of Alcoy in the province of Alicante, with fewer than a thousand people, a church and a cluster of stone houses among olive and almond groves. The Barranc del Salt, the waterfall ravine, cuts through the hills nearby, and its first shelter is one of the many painted sites in the region that are part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The Comtat and the neighbouring Alcoià are particularly rich in this heritage, with all three main styles of prehistoric painting represented: Levantine, schematic and the older Macro-schematic, unique to this small area, with large, enigmatic figures.

   Read the complete Barranc del Salt- Abric l write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Barranc del Salt- Abric l is where the day begins. Next is Coves Santes de Dalt.

2. 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 90 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de Lambert.

3. 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 171 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de Lambert. Next is back through Coves Santes de Dalt.

4. 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 del Salt- Abric l.

5. 5. Barranc del Salt- Abric l

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Barranc del Salt- Abric l write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Barranc del Salt- Abric l. That is the ride.