Why this ride
A 165 km round trip from Aledo - roughly 3 h 15 in the saddle. On the way it passes Los Grajos, Abrigo del milano and back through Los Grajos.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cueva de la Plata and Abrigo del milano
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 165 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 15
- 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 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
Cueva de la Plata is where the day begins. Next is Los Grajos.
2. Los Grajos
Jackdaws gave this place its name, grajos in Spanish, and they still wheel and chatter around the limestone cliffs where prehistoric people once sheltered and painted. Los Grajos lies in the hills near Alhama de Murcia, in the valley of the Guadalentín, where dry mountains rise above a plain of orchards, greenhouses and towns. The rock shelters here hold paintings in the Levantine style, and access is generally restricted to protect them.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Los Grajos comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abrigo del milano.
3. 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
about 80 km into the recorded legs you reach Abrigo del milano. Next is back through Los Grajos.
4. back through Los Grajos
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Los Grajos, late in the day. Next is Cueva de la Plata.
5. 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 at Cueva de la Plata. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cueva de la Plata to Los Grajos
Cueva de la Plata → Los Grajos is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos to Abrigo del milano
Los Grajos → Abrigo del milano is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del milano to back through Los Grajos
Abrigo del milano → back through Los Grajos is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Los Grajos to Cueva de la Plata
back through Los Grajos → Cueva de la Plata is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Los Grajos and Abrigo del milano · 188 km
- maina and Cejo Cortado I · 288 km