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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Central E. de Santonje and Río frío

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
301 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 32
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.

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Why this ride

From María it runs 301 km to María; allow about 6 h 32 of riding. It goes by way of Colmenas, Letreros de los mártires, Río frío and back through Letreros de los mártires. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,450 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Central E. de Santonje

    The Indalo, a little stick figure holding an arc over its head, is now the symbol of the whole province of Almería, painted on houses, cars and souvenirs, and it comes from a rock shelter here in the hills around Vélez-Blanco. The Cueva de los Letreros, a few kilometres from this point, holds the original among other paintings of the Levantine and schematic styles, and the shelters of the Sierra de María are part of the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, inscribed in 1998. Santonje, as the area is called, is one of a cluster of sites in these mountains.

    Read the complete Central E. de Santonje write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Central E. de Santonje is where the day begins. Next is Colmenas.

  2. 2. Colmenas

    Vélez-Blanco is a white town under a limestone crag in the north of Almería province, with a Renaissance castle on the rock above it and the pine-covered Sierra María rising behind. The Colmenas label sits less than a kilometre away, in country of dry slopes, almond groves and scattered farms.

    Read the complete Colmenas write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Colmenas comes up 36 km in. Next is Letreros de los mártires.

  3. 3. Letreros de los mártires

    Out in the high north-east of Granada province, Huéscar feels a long way from the Alhambra and the beaches of the Costa Tropical. This is the altiplano, a broad upland of wheat fields, almond trees and pale badlands at around a thousand metres, ringed by mountains, with the great limestone hump of La Sagra rising to the north. The rock shelter called Letreros de los Mártires lies in this country, a dozen or so kilometres from the town.

    Read the complete Letreros de los mártires write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    72 km in you reach Letreros de los mártires. Next is Río frío.

  4. 4. Río frío

    Cold water is a rare luxury in southern Spain, and a stream called Río Frío promises exactly that. It is a land of pine forests, limestone crags, deep river gorges and tiny villages, and the painted rock shelters scattered through these hills are part of the UNESCO listing of rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula.

    Read the complete Río frío write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Río frío, about halfway. Next is back through Letreros de los mártires.

  5. 5. back through Letreros de los mártires

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Letreros de los mártires write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Letreros de los mártires sits at 145 km, about halfway. Next is back through Colmenas.

  6. 6. back through Colmenas

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Colmenas write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Colmenas comes up 181 km in. Next is Central E. de Santonje, 36 km on.

  7. 7. Central E. de Santonje

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Central E. de Santonje write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Central E. de Santonje closes the day.

Leg by leg

Central E. de Santonje to Colmenas

Central E. de Santonje → Colmenas is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Colmenas to Letreros de los mártires

Colmenas → Letreros de los mártires is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Letreros de los mártires to Río frío

Letreros de los mártires → Río frío is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Río frío to back through Letreros de los mártires

Río frío → back through Letreros de los mártires is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Letreros de los mártires to back through Colmenas

back through Letreros de los mártires → back through Colmenas is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Colmenas to Central E. de Santonje

back through Colmenas → Central E. de Santonje is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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