Why this ride
A 118 km round trip from Hellín - roughly 1 h 33 in the saddle. On the way it passes Abrigo del Canto Blanco, Abrigo del Buen Aire I and back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cavidad II and Abrigo del Buen Aire I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 118 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 33
- 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. Cavidad II
South of Hellín the land opens into the dry, high steppe of southern Albacete, a country of esparto grass, almond terraces and bare limestone ridges, and it is in these ridges that the small painted cavities of the area hide. Cavidad II is one of them, a modest hollow in the rock with prehistoric pigment on its walls, part of a dense scatter of rock art sites around the Minateda area that archaeologists have studied for more than a century. Like most of the Levantine sites it is fragile and frequently protected by a grille, so it rewards patience and imagination more than a quick photograph.
Read the complete Cavidad II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cavidad II is where the day begins. Next is Abrigo del Canto Blanco.
2. Abrigo del Canto Blanco
Jumilla is wine country, and you know it as soon as you arrive. The town sits in the north of the Murcia region, surrounded by a high, dry plateau of vineyards growing the Monastrell grape, which produces powerful, dark red wines. A castle tops the hill above the old town, and the bodegas on its outskirts welcome visitors. The Abrigo del Canto Blanco, the shelter of the white stone, lies in the hills about five kilometres away.
Read the complete Abrigo del Canto Blanco write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del Canto Blanco comes up about 45 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abrigo del Buen Aire I.
3. Abrigo del Buen Aire I
Jumilla country is dry, wide and honest. The town sits in the far north of Murcia where it bulges up towards Albacete, surrounded by limestone sierras, almond groves and vineyards of Monastrell grapes that make some of the most powerful red wine in Spain. A few kilometres outside town, in the folds of these hills, lie a group of small rock shelters known as the Abrigos del Buen Aire. They belong to the long chain of prehistoric painted sites strung along the eastern side of the peninsula that UNESCO lists together as the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Abrigo del Buen Aire I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Abrigo del Buen Aire I. Next is back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco.
4. back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo del Canto Blanco write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco, late in the day. Next is Cavidad II.
5. Cavidad II
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cavidad II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Cavidad II. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cavidad II to Abrigo del Canto Blanco
Cavidad II → Abrigo del Canto Blanco is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Canto Blanco to Abrigo del Buen Aire I
Abrigo del Canto Blanco → Abrigo del Buen Aire I is 14 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Buen Aire I to back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco
Abrigo del Buen Aire I → back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco to Cavidad II
back through Abrigo del Canto Blanco → Cavidad II is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.