Why this ride
From Almansa it runs 332 km to Almansa; allow about 6 h 36 of riding. The stops in between: Abric de la Penya, Abric de la Paella, Abric de les Torrudanes and Abric de la Penya Banyà. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Barranco del Cabezo del moro and Abric de la Penya Banyà
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 332 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 36
- 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. Barranco del Cabezo del moro
Almansa is one of those towns you see from the motorway and do not stop at, and that is a mistake. Its castle is spectacular, a Gothic fortress built on a sharp limestone outcrop right in the middle of town, looking exactly like a child's drawing of a castle. Around it spreads a wide plain at about seven hundred metres, the meeting point of the Valencian, Murcian and Castilian lands, and a few kilometres out in the surrounding hills lies the ravine known as the Barranco del Cabezo del Moro.
Read the complete Barranco del Cabezo del moro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranco del Cabezo del moro is where the day begins. Next is Abric de la Penya.
2. Abric de la Penya
Moixent, or Mogente in Castilian, stands at the head of a corridor that has carried traffic between the Valencian coast and the interior of Castile for as long as anyone has been moving goods. The old road, the railway and now the motorway all funnel through here, between low limestone ridges with vineyards and olive groves in the valley floor. The rock shelter known as the Abric de la Penya sits in this landscape a few kilometres from the town, close also to Vallada.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Penya comes up about 52 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de la Paella.
3. Abric de la Paella
Muro de Alcoy and Cocentaina sit side by side in the valley of the Serpis river, in the Comtat, a district of northern Alicante surrounded by mountains. Cocentaina is crowned by a castle with a tall tower, and below it lies an old town with a palace of the Counts of Cocentaina and a Franciscan convent. The Abric de la Paella, named after the paella pan perhaps because of its shape, lies in the hills between the two towns.
Read the complete Abric de la Paella write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 88 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de la Paella. 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 Abric de la Penya Banyà.
5. Abric de la Penya Banyà
Somewhere in the limestone folds around Cocentaina, under an overhang of rock, people painted small figures thousands of years before anyone here had heard of Rome. The rock shelters of this part of Alicante belong to the great family of Mediterranean rock art that runs down the eastern side of Spain, recognised together by UNESCO, and the Abric de la Penya Banyà is one of these quiet, unassuming sites. Expect faded red pigment on pale stone, often protected behind a grille, and a short walk from the nearest track rather than a visitor centre.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya Banyà write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Penya Banyà sits at 138 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 about 204 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Abric de la Paella.
7. back through Abric de la Paella
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Paella write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 244 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Abric de la Paella. Next is back through Abric de la Penya.
8. back through Abric de la Penya
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Penya 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 la Penya, late in the day. Next is Barranco del Cabezo del moro.
9. Barranco del Cabezo del moro
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranco del Cabezo del moro 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 332 km.
Leg by leg
Barranco del Cabezo del moro to Abric de la Penya
Barranco del Cabezo del moro → Abric de la Penya is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Penya to Abric de la Paella
Abric de la Penya → Abric de la Paella is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Paella to Abric de les Torrudanes
Abric de la Paella → Abric de les Torrudanes is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Torrudanes to Abric de la Penya Banyà
Abric de les Torrudanes → Abric de la Penya Banyà is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Penya Banyà to back through Abric de les Torrudanes
Abric de la Penya Banyà → back through Abric de les Torrudanes is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de les Torrudanes to back through Abric de la Paella
back through Abric de les Torrudanes → back through Abric de la Paella is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Paella to back through Abric de la Penya
back through Abric de la Paella → back through Abric de la Penya is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Penya to Barranco del Cabezo del moro
back through Abric de la Penya → Barranco del Cabezo del moro is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.