Why this ride
A 368 km round trip from Bolulla - roughly 6 h 09 in the saddle. The stops in between: Abric de Lambert, Abric del Espolón del Zapatero and back through Abric de Lambert. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranc del Xorquet and Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 368 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 09
- 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 del Xorquet
Ask a cyclist on the Costa Blanca about Coll de Rates and watch their face change. The pass road climbing from Parcent toward Tàrbena is a pilgrimage for professional teams in winter training, and it lies only a few kilometres from the Barranc del Xorquet, one of the ravines in the tangled limestone hills behind the coast. This is an area rich in prehistoric rock art: the shelters at Pla de Petracos near Castell de Castells hold some of the best examples of the so-called macro-schematic style, big abstract human figures painted in red thousands of years ago, and the ravines around here hide further sites.
Read the complete Barranc del Xorquet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc del Xorquet is where the day begins. Next is Abric de Lambert.
2. 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
Abric de Lambert comes up about 94 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del Espolón del Zapatero.
3. Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
The Cortes de Pallás area, in the interior of Valencia province, is one of the wildest places within an hour or two of the coast. The Júcar river has carved a deep canyon through the limestone, and the Muela de Cortes, a high plateau of rock and scrub, rises above it. Bicorp, Quesa and Millares are small villages on its edge, and the roads that link them are some of the twistiest in the region, with sections that cling to the sides of the gorge and open on huge views. Griffon vultures and golden eagles use the cliffs, and the pine woods are home to wild boar and roe deer.
Read the complete Abric del Espolón del Zapatero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 184 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric del Espolón del Zapatero. Next is back through Abric de Lambert.
4. back through Abric de Lambert
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Abric de Lambert, late in the day. Next is Barranc del Xorquet.
5. Barranc del Xorquet
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc del Xorquet 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 Xorquet. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Barranc del Xorquet to Abric de Lambert
Barranc del Xorquet → Abric de Lambert is 94 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Abric de Lambert to Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Abric de Lambert → Abric del Espolón del Zapatero is 90 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero to back through Abric de Lambert
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero → back through Abric de Lambert is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de Lambert to Barranc del Xorquet
back through Abric de Lambert → Barranc del Xorquet is 95 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.