Why this ride
A 214 km round trip from Cehegín - roughly 4 h 30 in the saddle. The stops in between: Abrigo del milano, Cueva de la Plata, maina and back through Cueva de la Plata. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cueva de las Conchas and maina
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 214 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 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 las Conchas
Cehegín's old town rises in a tight cluster of ochre houses and church towers on a hill above the Argos river, in the northwest of Murcia, and it is one of the best-preserved historic centres in the region, with narrow streets, noble houses and churches dating back to the sixteenth century. The Cueva de las Conchas, the cave of the shells, lies less than a kilometre from the town, and it is part of the rich network of prehistoric sites in this area, included in the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art.
Read the complete Cueva de las Conchas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de las Conchas is where the day begins. Next is Abrigo del milano.
2. 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 comes up about 20 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 75 km into the recorded legs you reach Cueva de la Plata. Next is maina.
4. 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, 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 113 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abrigo del milano.
6. back through Abrigo del milano
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Abrigo del milano comes up about 194 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cueva de las Conchas.
7. Cueva de las Conchas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de las Conchas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de las Conchas closes the day.
Leg by leg
Cueva de las Conchas to Abrigo del milano
Cueva de las Conchas → Abrigo del milano is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del milano to Cueva de la Plata
Abrigo del milano → Cueva de la Plata is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Plata to maina
Cueva de la Plata → maina is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
maina to back through Cueva de la Plata
maina → back through Cueva de la Plata is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de la Plata to back through Abrigo del milano
back through Cueva de la Plata → back through Abrigo del milano is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo del milano to Cueva de las Conchas
back through Abrigo del milano → Cueva de las Conchas is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.