Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla and Val del Charco del Agua Amarga
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
400 km
Riding-time estimate
8 h 11
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.
From Villafranca del Cid it runs 400 km to Villafranca del Cid; allow about 8 h 11 of riding. On the way it passes Abric de la Tenalla, Val del Charco del Agua Amarga and back through Abric de la Tenalla. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla
This is high Maestrat country, where Castellón's mountains roll into Teruel's, and the small rock shelter called the Covatina del Tossalet del Mas de la Rambla belongs to a family of sites that UNESCO lists together as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Under overhangs like this one, hunters and early farmers painted small, lively figures in red and black: archers in mid-stride, deer and ibex, scenes of hunting and gathering. The style, called Levantine art, is unusual for its movement and its storytelling, and many of the shelters are tiny, fragile and kept behind fences. Access is often by guided visit only, so check with the local tourist office before you count on seeing the paintings.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla is where the day begins. Next is Abric de la Tenalla.
2. Abric de la Tenalla
The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the wildest corners of the Valencian region, a cluster of tiny villages in the mountains where Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon meet, and the Abric de la Tenalla lies on its southeastern edge, near Rosell. It is one of the many rock shelters in this area with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the nearby Serra de Godall and the Ulldecona shelters to the east are among the most important sites in Catalonia. The landscape is dramatic: limestone cliffs, deep gorges, pine and holm oak forests, and abandoned terraces where shepherds once grazed their flocks.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Tenalla comes up 62 km in. Next is Val del Charco del Agua Amarga.
3. Val del Charco del Agua Amarga
Around ten kilometres from Alcañiz, in a dry ravine among olive groves and limestone ledges, a rock shelter holds one of the most celebrated scenes of Levantine rock art in Spain. The paintings at Val del Charco del Agua Amarga show archers in motion, hunting and perhaps fighting, their thin bodies drawn with a few confident strokes in red. Many experts consider it one of the finest examples in the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art, and seeing it, even protected behind a fence, gives a real jolt of connection to people who lived here several thousand years ago.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla to Abric de la Tenalla
Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla → Abric de la Tenalla is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Tenalla to Val del Charco del Agua Amarga
Abric de la Tenalla → Val del Charco del Agua Amarga is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Val del Charco del Agua Amarga to back through Abric de la Tenalla
Val del Charco del Agua Amarga → back through Abric de la Tenalla is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Tenalla to Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla
back through Abric de la Tenalla → Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.