Why this ride
258 km from Parcent to Parcent, about 4 h 58 of riding. It goes by way of Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I, Barranc de frainos- Abric I, Barranc de la Penya Blanca and Benirrama- Abric I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova del mansano and Benirrama- Abric I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 258 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 58
- 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. Cova del mansano
Every cyclist in Europe seems to know the Coll de Rates, and that is a good hint for motorcyclists too. The climb starts in Parcent, a few kilometres from the Cova del Mansano, and winds up the mountainside in a long sequence of smooth, well surfaced bends to a pass with a view over the whole Vall de Pop and the sea beyond. The rock shelter itself sits in the hills around Jalón, Alcalalí and Parcent, a short walk from the road, and its paintings belong to the same World Heritage group as the other Levantine shelters of the coast.
Read the complete Cova del mansano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del mansano is where the day begins. Next is Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I.
2. Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I
The Guadalest valley is one of the most photographed places on the Costa Blanca, and it is easy to see why. A narrow rocky spur rises from the middle of the valley, topped by the tower and ruined walls of the castle of Guadalest, and the village clings to the rock below, reached through a tunnel cut in the stone. Beyond it, a reservoir with a startling turquoise colour fills the valley floor, and the great grey wall of the Sierra de Aitana, at 1,558 metres the highest peak in the province of Alicante, rises behind. The village itself is crowded with visitors in summer, and many of the shops sell souvenirs, but at dawn the view across the valley is quiet and fine.
Read the complete Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
3. Barranc de frainos- Abric I
The mountains behind Benidorm are a world away from the high-rise hotels and the beaches. Inland from the Costa Blanca, the land rises quickly into a jumble of limestone ridges, the highest of which, the Serra d'Aitana, reaches over fifteen hundred metres, the roof of the province of Alicante. Between Sella, Benilloba and Relleu, deep in this rugged country, the Barranc de Frainos holds a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The sites here are small and fragile, and access is usually limited to guided visits, but the landscape is worth the journey.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 73 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranc de frainos- Abric I. Next is Barranc de la Penya Blanca.
4. Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Planes is a small village in the hills of the Comtat in northern Alicante province, crowned by a castle and looking out over a valley of olive and cherry orchards. The Barranc de la Penya Blanca, the ravine of the white rock, lies close by, among the folded limestone ridges between Planes, Benimarfull and the reservoir at Beniarrés.
Read the complete Barranc de la Penya Blanca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de la Penya Blanca, about halfway. Next is Benirrama- Abric I.
5. Benirrama- Abric I
In the Vall de Gallinera, a long, narrow valley in the mountains of northern Alicante, the Benirrama shelter is one of a cluster of rock art sites, part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin World Heritage listing. The valley is particularly rich in macro-schematic art, a distinctive style found only in this region, with large, abstract human figures and symbols painted in red, and the nearby Pla de Petracos is the most famous site of this style. Benirrama itself is also the name of a ruined Moorish castle on a hill above the valley.
Read the complete Benirrama- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Benirrama- Abric I sits at 65 km, about halfway. Next is back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca.
6. back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de la Penya Blanca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca comes up about 150 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
7. back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 180 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I. Next is back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I.
8. back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Cova del mansano.
9. Cova del mansano
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del mansano 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 258 km.
Leg by leg
Cova del mansano to Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I
Cova del mansano → Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I to Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I → Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Barranc de la Penya Blanca is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de la Penya Blanca to Benirrama- Abric I
Barranc de la Penya Blanca → Benirrama- Abric I is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Benirrama- Abric I to back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Benirrama- Abric I → back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca to back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca → back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I to back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I → back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I to Cova del mansano
back through Esbardal de miquel el Serril- Abric I → Cova del mansano is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.