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.
A 78 km round trip from Albocàsser - roughly 2 h 03 in the saddle. It goes by way of Racó d'en Gil, Els Covarxos and back through Racó d'en Gil. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Covetes del Puntal- Abric I
Food in the Maestrat is mountain food: filling, simple and made with whatever the land gives. Lamb and kid from the local flocks, roasted or stewed with potatoes and herbs, take the place of fish. Cured sausages, ham and cecina, dried and salted meat, hang in the farm shops. Olive oil, bread, almonds, cheese from Catí, and honey fill the larder, and in the colder months, you can find thick stews and bean dishes made with pork. Wine is local, strong and unpretentious. If you ride here, plan to eat well and slowly, and do not be in a hurry.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Covetes del Puntal- Abric I is where the day begins. Next is Racó d'en Gil.
2. Racó d'en Gil
There is a small triangle of country in the Alt Maestrat, between Benassal, Catí and Albocàsser, where the hills fold into narrow ravines and the stone walls of old terraces climb every slope. Racó d'en Gil, a name meaning something like Gil's corner, lies in this landscape, and it sits within easy reach of the Valltorta gorge, the place that put Levantine rock art on the map.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Racó d'en Gil comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Els Covarxos.
3. Els Covarxos
Culla stands on a hilltop in the interior of Castellón, a medieval village of stone houses and narrow lanes wrapped around the remains of a castle. In the thirteenth century, after the Christian conquest, the area was granted to the Knights Templar, and later to the Order of Montesa, which explains the old walls and the sense of a place built for defence. Below the village, among the ravines and terraces, the rock shelter of Els Covarxos holds prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like many such shelters, it is protected and not easy to find on your own; enquire locally before setting off on foot.