Why this ride
A 254 km round trip from Cehegín - roughly 5 h 47 in the saddle. The stops in between: Abrigo del milano, Cejo Cortado I, Cueva de los Pucheros and Cejo Cortado II.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cueva del Humo and Cejo Cortado II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 254 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 47
- 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 del Humo
Cehegín is the sort of town that most travellers drive past on the way to somewhere more famous, which is good news for anyone who prefers a quiet table. It stands on a hillside above the Quípar river in the north-west of Murcia, only a few kilometres from Caravaca de la Cruz, and its old centre is a tangle of steep lanes, baroque houses and small churches. The place has a long history, with Roman, Moorish and Christian layers, and the narrow streets of the upper town reward a slow walk.
Read the complete Cueva del Humo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva del Humo 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 Cejo Cortado I.
3. Cejo Cortado I
Mula is a town in the heart of the Murcia region, built on the slopes of a hill crowned by a sixteenth-century castle, with an old quarter of narrow streets, noble houses and churches. Around it, a dry landscape of hills, ravines and badlands opens out, with orchards and olive groves along the river. The Cejo Cortado, a name meaning the cut brow, refers to a rocky escarpment with prehistoric shelters about seven kilometres from the town, between Mula, Albudeite and Ricote.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 46 km into the recorded legs you reach Cejo Cortado I. Next is Cueva de los Pucheros.
4. Cueva de los Pucheros
North-west of Cieza, the Segura river cuts through a dry landscape of limestone ridges, almond and fruit orchards, and rice fields that look out of place in arid Murcia. The Cueva de los Pucheros, a rock shelter in these hills between Cieza and Calasparra, is one of the many sites in the region holding prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like most of these shelters, it is fragile and often protected by a fence, and access may require a guided visit arranged through the local authorities.
Read the complete Cueva de los Pucheros write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de los Pucheros, about halfway. Next is Cejo Cortado II.
5. Cejo Cortado II
Mula does not announce itself to motorcyclists, which is a pity, because the roads around it are among the most enjoyable in inland Murcia. The town of nearly seventeen thousand sits on the river that bears its name, below the long grey wall of the Sierra Espuña to the south, and its old quarter climbs a hill capped by a castle. Cejo Cortado, seven kilometres from the centre, is a small crag in dry hill country where a shelter holds prehistoric paintings, the kind of place you find by following a farm track and reading the contours.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cejo Cortado II sits at 92 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cueva de los Pucheros.
6. back through Cueva de los Pucheros
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de los Pucheros 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 los Pucheros comes up about 172 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Cejo Cortado I.
7. back through Cejo Cortado I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 208 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Cejo Cortado I. Next is back through Abrigo del milano.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Cueva del Humo.
9. Cueva del Humo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva del Humo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 254 km.
Leg by leg
Cueva del Humo to Abrigo del milano
Cueva del Humo → Abrigo del milano is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del milano to Cejo Cortado I
Abrigo del milano → Cejo Cortado I is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I to Cueva de los Pucheros
Cejo Cortado I → Cueva de los Pucheros is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de los Pucheros to Cejo Cortado II
Cueva de los Pucheros → Cejo Cortado II is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado II to back through Cueva de los Pucheros
Cejo Cortado II → back through Cueva de los Pucheros is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de los Pucheros to back through Cejo Cortado I
back through Cueva de los Pucheros → back through Cejo Cortado I is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cejo Cortado I to back through Abrigo del milano
back through Cejo Cortado I → back through Abrigo del milano is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo del milano to Cueva del Humo
back through Abrigo del milano → Cueva del Humo is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.