Why this ride
A 181 km round trip from Parcent - roughly 4 h 00 in the saddle. The stops in between: Cova del mig dia, Barraac de la Palla, Cueva de la Clau and back through Barraac de la Palla.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova del mansano and Cueva de la Clau
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 181 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 00
- 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 Cova del mig dia.
2. Cova del mig dia
The Montgó dominates the coast between Dénia and Xàbia, a massive limestone mountain rising to 753 metres straight from the sea, its profile said to resemble a sleeping elephant. The Cova del Mig Dia, the cave of midday, is in the flanks of the Montgó, one of several caves and shelters on the mountain, some with traces of prehistoric occupation and rock art. The Montgó is a natural park, with paths leading through scrub and pine to caves, viewpoints and the summit.
Read the complete Cova del mig dia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del mig dia comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barraac de la Palla.
3. Barraac de la Palla
Tormos and Sagra are tiny villages at the foot of the mountains in the north of Alicante province, at the point where the plain of the Marina Alta meets the hills. They are surrounded by orange groves and orchards, with the mountains of the Vall de Laguar and the Serra del Migdia rising steeply behind. The Barranc de la Palla, the ravine of the straw, cuts into the hills near Tormos, close also to Orba and the town of Pego.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 58 km into the recorded legs you reach Barraac de la Palla. Next is Cueva de la Clau.
4. Cueva de la Clau
Behind Gandia, the orange groves climb into the folded limestone hills of La Safor, and among the tiny villages there, Palma de Gandía and Ador sit almost touching each other at the foot of the slopes. Cueva de la Clau is one of the many rock shelters in the Valencian hills that form part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, a scattered collection of hundreds of sites where prehistoric people painted hunters, animals, dancers and abstract signs on limestone overhangs.
Read the complete Cueva de la Clau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Clau, about halfway. Next is back through Barraac de la Palla.
5. back through Barraac de la Palla
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Barraac de la Palla sits at 100 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cova del mig dia.
6. back through Cova del mig dia
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del mig dia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova del mig dia comes up about 152 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova del mansano.
7. 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
Cova del mansano closes the day.
Leg by leg
Cova del mansano to Cova del mig dia
Cova del mansano → Cova del mig dia is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova del mig dia to Barraac de la Palla
Cova del mig dia → Barraac de la Palla is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barraac de la Palla to Cueva de la Clau
Barraac de la Palla → Cueva de la Clau is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Clau to back through Barraac de la Palla
Cueva de la Clau → back through Barraac de la Palla is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barraac de la Palla to back through Cova del mig dia
back through Barraac de la Palla → back through Cova del mig dia is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova del mig dia to Cova del mansano
back through Cova del mig dia → Cova del mansano is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.