Why this ride
311 km from Hellín to Hellín, about 4 h 35 of riding. The stops in between: Cejo Cortado I, maina and back through Cejo Cortado I. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cavidad II and maina
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 311 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 35
- 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 Cejo Cortado I.
2. Cejo Cortado I
Mula is a town in the heart of the Murcia region, built on the slopes of a hill crowned by a sixteenth-century castle, with an old quarter of narrow streets, noble houses and churches. Around it, a dry landscape of hills, ravines and badlands opens out, with orchards and olive groves along the river. The Cejo Cortado, a name meaning the cut brow, refers to a rocky escarpment with prehistoric shelters about seven kilometres from the town, between Mula, Albudeite and Ricote.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cejo Cortado I comes up about 79 km into the recorded legs. Next is maina.
3. maina
Maina is an obscure name on the map in the Murcian hills north-west of Totana, where the Sierra Espuña rises above the valley of the Guadalentín. It refers to a rock shelter or painted site in the dry limestone country, part of the cluster of prehistoric art sites around here included in the World Heritage listing of Levantine rock art. As with many such places, there is often little to see without a guide, but the landscape around it is worth the ride.
Read the complete maina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 155 km into the recorded legs you reach maina. Next is back through Cejo Cortado I.
4. back through Cejo Cortado I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cejo Cortado I, 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 Cejo Cortado I
Cavidad II → Cejo Cortado I is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I to maina
Cejo Cortado I → maina is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
maina to back through Cejo Cortado I
maina → back through Cejo Cortado I is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Cejo Cortado I to Cavidad II
back through Cejo Cortado I → Cavidad II is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.