Why this ride
A 357 km round trip from Tollos - roughly 6 h 13 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abric de Lambert, Abric del Espolón del Zapatero and back through Abric de Lambert.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Coves Roges Abric II-III and Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 357 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 13
- 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 Abric de Lambert.
2. 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 comes up about 88 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del Espolón del Zapatero.
3. Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
The Cortes de Pallás area, in the interior of Valencia province, is one of the wildest places within an hour or two of the coast. The Júcar river has carved a deep canyon through the limestone, and the Muela de Cortes, a high plateau of rock and scrub, rises above it. Bicorp, Quesa and Millares are small villages on its edge, and the roads that link them are some of the twistiest in the region, with sections that cling to the sides of the gorge and open on huge views. Griffon vultures and golden eagles use the cliffs, and the pine woods are home to wild boar and roe deer.
Read the complete Abric del Espolón del Zapatero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 179 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric del Espolón del Zapatero. Next is back through Abric de Lambert.
4. back through Abric de Lambert
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Abric de Lambert, late in the day. Next is Coves Roges Abric II-III.
5. 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
Back at Coves Roges Abric II-III. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Coves Roges Abric II-III to Abric de Lambert
Coves Roges Abric II-III → Abric de Lambert is 88 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de Lambert to Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Abric de Lambert → Abric del Espolón del Zapatero is 91 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero to back through Abric de Lambert
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero → back through Abric de Lambert is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de Lambert to Coves Roges Abric II-III
back through Abric de Lambert → Coves Roges Abric II-III is 90 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.