Skip to content
CurveScout

CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Calçaes del matá and Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
304 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 47
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.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A 304 km round trip from Albocàsser - roughly 5 h 47 in the saddle. On the way it passes El Cireral, Barranco de Gibert II, Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d and back through Barranco de Gibert II. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,400 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Calçaes del matá

    Ares del Maestrat sits on a crag so steep that the village seems glued to the rock, and below it, in the Gasulla gorge, the Cingle de la Mola Remigia holds some of the most famous Levantine paintings in Spain, scenes of archers, hunters and even an execution. Calçaes del Matà is a shelter in the same broad landscape near Albocàsser, and with the Gasulla and Valltorta sites it belongs to the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The shelters here are reached on foot, and guided visits can be booked through the local museums.

    Read the complete Calçaes del matá write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Calçaes del matá is where the day begins. Next is El Cireral.

  2. 2. El Cireral

    In Valencian, a cirerer is a cherry tree, and the name of El Cireral suggests an old cherry orchard or a place where wild cherries once grew. That fits the high country around Benassal, where the nights are cool and the fruit trees do well. The shelter lies about five kilometres from the town, in the dry hills of the Alt Maestrat, and carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. The ride links it with a site called Calçaes del Matá, and with the Arenal de la Fonseca.

    Read the complete El Cireral write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    El Cireral comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranco de Gibert II.

  3. 3. Barranco de Gibert II

    Up on the roof of the Maestrazgo, where Teruel and Castellón meet, the land rises above fourteen hundred metres into a bleak, beautiful plateau of pasture, pine and limestone. Mosqueruela, on the Aragonese side, is one of the highest villages in the area, and Vilafranca, on the Valencian side, sits in a valley below. The Barranco de Gibert cuts into the hills between them, close also to La Iglesuela del Cid, and its second shelter holds prehistoric paintings.

    Read the complete Barranco de Gibert II write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    about 66 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranco de Gibert II. Next is Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d.

  4. 4. Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d

    The Guadalope river cuts a deep canyon through the limestone of the Maestrazgo in eastern Teruel, and the Abrigo del Arenal de la Fonseca lies in this wild country near the hamlet of Ladruñán, between the villages of Castellote and Cantavieja. It is one of the important rock-art shelters of Aragon, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art, with Levantine paintings of animals and human figures in red pigment on the rock. The setting is spectacular: a narrow gorge with towering cliffs, the river flowing below, and pine and holm oak clinging to the slopes. Access involves a walk, and the paintings are protected by a fence.

    Read the complete Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d, about halfway. Next is back through Barranco de Gibert II.

  5. 5. back through Barranco de Gibert II

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Barranco de Gibert II write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Barranco de Gibert II sits at 125 km, about halfway. Next is back through El Cireral.

  6. 6. back through El Cireral

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete El Cireral write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through El Cireral comes up about 275 km into the recorded legs. Next is Calçaes del matá.

  7. 7. Calçaes del matá

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Calçaes del matá write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Calçaes del matá closes the day.

Leg by leg

Calçaes del matá to El Cireral

Calçaes del matá → El Cireral is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

El Cireral to Barranco de Gibert II

El Cireral → Barranco de Gibert II is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Barranco de Gibert II to Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d

Barranco de Gibert II → Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d is 86 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d to back through Barranco de Gibert II

Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d → back through Barranco de Gibert II is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Barranco de Gibert II to back through El Cireral

back through Barranco de Gibert II → back through El Cireral is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through El Cireral to Calçaes del matá

back through El Cireral → Calçaes del matá is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

More motorcycle rides nearby