Why this ride
A 108 km round trip from Palma de Gandía - roughly 3 h 44 in the saddle. It goes by way of Cova Llarga, Abric de les Torrudanes and back through Cova Llarga.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cueva de la Clau and Abric de les Torrudanes
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 108 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 44
- 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. Cueva de la Clau
Behind Gandia, the orange groves climb into the folded limestone hills of La Safor, and among the tiny villages there, Palma de Gandía and Ador sit almost touching each other at the foot of the slopes. Cueva de la Clau is one of the many rock shelters in the Valencian hills that form part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, a scattered collection of hundreds of sites where prehistoric people painted hunters, animals, dancers and abstract signs on limestone overhangs.
Read the complete Cueva de la Clau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Clau is where the day begins. Next is Cova Llarga.
2. Cova Llarga
The Benicadell is the mountain that tells you where you are in this part of Valencia. Its long, sharp limestone ridge, topped by a distinctive rocky tooth, separates the Vall d'Albaida from the valleys of Alcoy and Cocentaina, and on clear days it is visible from the coast. The Cova Llarga, the long cave, sits on the southern side of this world, in the folded hills near Beniarrés, Terrateig and Planes, and it belongs to the scatter of small sites that record people living, painting and sheltering in these hills since prehistory.
Read the complete Cova Llarga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova Llarga comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de les Torrudanes.
3. Abric de les Torrudanes
In the Vall d'Ebo, a small valley in the mountains of northern Alicante, the Abric de les Torrudanes is a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, one of many in the area that form part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin World Heritage listing. The paintings include human figures and animals in the Levantine style, and the shelter's location, on a cliff above the valley, offers views over the mountains. Nearby, the Cova del Rull is a show cave with stalactites and stalagmites.
Read the complete Abric de les Torrudanes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 51 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de les Torrudanes. Next is back through Cova Llarga.
4. back through Cova Llarga
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova Llarga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova Llarga, late in the day. Next is Cueva de la Clau.
5. Cueva de la Clau
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de la Clau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Cueva de la Clau. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cueva de la Clau to Cova Llarga
Cueva de la Clau → Cova Llarga is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova Llarga to Abric de les Torrudanes
Cova Llarga → Abric de les Torrudanes is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Torrudanes to back through Cova Llarga
Abric de les Torrudanes → back through Cova Llarga is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova Llarga to Cueva de la Clau
back through Cova Llarga → Cueva de la Clau is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.