Why this ride
From Javea it runs 223 km to Javea; allow about 4 h 47 of riding. The stops in between: Pinós, Pla de Petracos- Abric I, Barranc del Salt- Abric l and back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Coves Santes de Baix and Barranc del Salt- Abric l
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 223 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 47
- 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 Santes de Baix
The Montgó is the mountain that defines this coast, a great limestone whale of a massif, 753 metres high, standing between Dénia and Xàbia and visible from far out at sea. It is a natural park, with rare plants, Mediterranean scrub and cliffs where birds of prey nest, and its profile is the one that sailors used for centuries as a landmark. Xàbia, known to English speakers as Jávea, lies at its foot, a town of about 30,000 people in three parts: a walled old town on a hill, a harbour district, and a long arc of beach, the Arenal.
Read the complete Coves Santes de Baix write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Santes de Baix is where the day begins. Next is Pinós.
2. Pinós
Inland from the busy coast of the Marina Alta, behind Benissa and Calp, the land folds into a series of steep, terraced valleys where almond and olive trees cling to dry-stone walls and white farmhouses sit among the pines. Pinós is a rural area in the hills near Benissa, Senija and Jalón, and the rides link it to the rock-art shelters of the barrancs, the ravines that cut through the limestone of this region, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art. The exact contents of the nearby shelters are for specialists, but the landscape itself has a quiet, timeless beauty, especially in the soft light of late afternoon.
Read the complete Pinós write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pinós comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
3. Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Pla de Petracos is one of the most important prehistoric art sites in Spain, and it looks like nothing much: a row of shallow shelters in the side of a ravine near Castell de Castells, in the high interior of the Marina Alta. What makes it special is the style. The paintings here are among the clearest examples of what archaeologists call Macroschematic art, large, bold, almost abstract human figures with raised arms and serpentine forms, painted by the first farming communities of the region in the early Neolithic. Elsewhere in the Valencian mountains you find Levantine hunting scenes; here you find something stranger and more symbolic. A short path and viewing platforms make the panels accessible, and the information boards help you see what the eye misses at first.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 63 km into the recorded legs you reach Pla de Petracos- Abric I. Next is Barranc del Salt- Abric l.
4. Barranc del Salt- Abric l
Benilloba is a tiny village in the Comtat, the mountainous district north of Alcoy in the province of Alicante, with fewer than a thousand people, a church and a cluster of stone houses among olive and almond groves. The Barranc del Salt, the waterfall ravine, cuts through the hills nearby, and its first shelter is one of the many painted sites in the region that are part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The Comtat and the neighbouring Alcoià are particularly rich in this heritage, with all three main styles of prehistoric painting represented: Levantine, schematic and the older Macro-schematic, unique to this small area, with large, enigmatic figures.
Read the complete Barranc del Salt- Abric l write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc del Salt- Abric l, about halfway. Next is back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
5. back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- 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 Pla de Petracos- Abric I sits at 103 km, about halfway. Next is back through Pinós.
6. back through Pinós
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pinós write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pinós comes up about 186 km into the recorded legs. Next is Coves Santes de Baix.
7. Coves Santes de Baix
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Coves Santes de Baix write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Santes de Baix closes the day.
Leg by leg
Coves Santes de Baix to Pinós
Coves Santes de Baix → Pinós is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pinós to Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Pinós → Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pla de Petracos- Abric I to Barranc del Salt- Abric l
Pla de Petracos- Abric I → Barranc del Salt- Abric l is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc del Salt- Abric l to back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Barranc del Salt- Abric l → back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I to back through Pinós
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I → back through Pinós is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pinós to Coves Santes de Baix
back through Pinós → Coves Santes de Baix is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.