Why this ride
275 km from Mazarrón to Mazarrón, about 5 h 30 of riding. On the way it passes maina, Cueva de la Plata, Abrigo del milano and back through Cueva de la Plata.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cueva de la Higuera and Abrigo del milano starting at Mazarrón
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 275 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 30
- 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 Higuera
Mazarrón has always been about what lies under the ground. Roman miners dug silver and lead from these dry hills, and later generations extracted alum and ochre, and the coast near the town still shows the scars and the rust-coloured earth of that trade. Two Phoenician ships from about the seventh century BC were found wrecked on the nearby shore, an astonishing find for archaeologists. The Cueva de la Higuera lies inland from the coast in the arid hills of the Región de Murcia, and its name means the cave of the fig tree, a small mark of green in a very dry place.
Read the complete Cueva de la Higuera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Higuera is where the day begins. Next is maina.
2. maina
Maina is an obscure name on the map in the Murcian hills north-west of Totana, where the Sierra Espuña rises above the valley of the Guadalentín. It refers to a rock shelter or painted site in the dry limestone country, part of the cluster of prehistoric art sites around here included in the World Heritage listing of Levantine rock art. As with many such places, there is often little to see without a guide, but the landscape around it is worth the ride.
Read the complete maina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
maina comes up about 53 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cueva de la Plata.
3. Cueva de la Plata
Aledo is a tiny village on a rocky spur in the hills of Murcia, a place that punches well above its weight in history. In the eleventh century, it was a fortress on the frontier between Christian Castile and the Muslim taifa kingdoms, and the siege of Aledo in 1088 was a major episode in the struggle for the peninsula. A tower still stands above the village. The Cueva de la Plata, the silver cave, lies in the hills nearby, between Aledo, Totana and Alhama de Murcia.
Read the complete Cueva de la Plata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 85 km into the recorded legs you reach Cueva de la Plata. Next is Abrigo del milano.
4. Abrigo del milano
Bullas is wine country, and the vineyards of Monastrell grapes roll over the hills around the town in the northwest of Murcia, producing robust red wines under their own denomination of origin. The Abrigo del Milano, the kite's shelter, named after the bird of prey that circles over these hills, lies in the countryside between Bullas, Mula and Pliego. It is one of the many rock shelters in Murcia with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art, though access to many shelters is restricted to protect them, so ask locally before trying to visit.
Read the complete Abrigo del milano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrigo del milano, about halfway. Next is back through Cueva de la Plata.
5. back through Cueva de la Plata
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de la Plata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cueva de la Plata sits at 130 km, about halfway. Next is back through maina.
6. back through maina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete maina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through maina comes up about 220 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cueva de la Higuera.
7. Cueva de la Higuera
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de la Higuera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Higuera closes the day.
Leg by leg
Cueva de la Higuera to maina
Cueva de la Higuera → maina is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
maina to Cueva de la Plata
maina → Cueva de la Plata is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Plata to Abrigo del milano
Cueva de la Plata → Abrigo del milano is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del milano to back through Cueva de la Plata
Abrigo del milano → back through Cueva de la Plata is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de la Plata to back through maina
back through Cueva de la Plata → back through maina is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through maina to Cueva de la Higuera
back through maina → Cueva de la Higuera is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Cueva de la Higuera and Abrigo del milano · 338 km
- maina and Los Grajos · 151 km