Why this ride
298 km from Tollos to Tollos, about 5 h 25 of riding. The stops in between: Penya Escrita, Cova del mig dia, Abric de Lambert and back through Cova del mig dia. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Coves Roges Abric II-III and Abric de Lambert
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 298 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 25
- 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. Coves Roges Abric II-III
Behind the Costa Blanca, between the beaches and the hills, lies a country of steep limestone valleys, almond terraces and tiny villages that few tourists reach. Coves Roges, the Red Caves, are shelters in the rock near Castell de Castells and Tàrbena, in the Marina Alta, where the Serra d'Aitana rises to over fifteen hundred metres and the Guadalest valley cuts deep into the mountains. Rock shelters here were painted and used in prehistory, and this part of Alicante has some of the best-known Levantine art, such as the shelters at Pla de Petracos not far away.
Read the complete Coves Roges Abric II-III write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Roges Abric II-III is where the day begins. Next is Penya Escrita.
2. Penya Escrita
In the folded limestone hills behind the Costa Blanca, far enough inland that the resorts feel like another country, a rock shelter called Penya Escrita holds prehistoric paintings. The name means something like the written rock, which is what the people of Tàrbena and Bolulla called it long before archaeologists arrived. The figures belong to the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula, a UNESCO site made up of hundreds of shelters scattered from Catalonia down to Andalusia, painted by hunter-gatherers and early farmers thousands of years ago. They are small, faded and easy to miss, and they are best appreciated with patience rather than expectation.
Read the complete Penya Escrita write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penya Escrita comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova del mig dia.
3. 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
about 75 km into the recorded legs you reach Cova del mig dia. Next is Abric de Lambert.
4. Abric de Lambert
Cullera is not where most people would look for prehistory. It is a busy beach town at the mouth of the Júcar, with high-rise apartments along the sand, a lighthouse on the point and rice fields stretching inland toward the Albufera lagoon. But the town has a mountain at its back, a limestone outcrop crowned by a castle and a sanctuary, and in that rock there are shelters, including the one known as the Abric de Lambert.
Read the complete Abric de Lambert write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de Lambert, about halfway. Next is back through Cova del mig dia.
5. 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 sits at 167 km, about halfway. Next is back through Penya Escrita.
6. back through Penya Escrita
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penya Escrita write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Penya Escrita comes up about 267 km into the recorded legs. Next is Coves Roges Abric II-III.
7. Coves Roges Abric II-III
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Coves Roges Abric II-III write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Roges Abric II-III closes the day.
Leg by leg
Coves Roges Abric II-III to Penya Escrita
Coves Roges Abric II-III → Penya Escrita is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Penya Escrita to Cova del mig dia
Penya Escrita → Cova del mig dia is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova del mig dia to Abric de Lambert
Cova del mig dia → Abric de Lambert is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Abric de Lambert to back through Cova del mig dia
Abric de Lambert → back through Cova del mig dia is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Cova del mig dia to back through Penya Escrita
back through Cova del mig dia → back through Penya Escrita is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Penya Escrita to Coves Roges Abric II-III
back through Penya Escrita → Coves Roges Abric II-III is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.