Why this ride
226 km from Calasparra to Calasparra, about 4 h 54 of riding. On the way it passes Cejo Cortado I, Los Grajos, maina and back through Los Grajos. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
El Laberinto and maina
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 226 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 54
- 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. El Laberinto
Calasparra is a rice town, which sounds odd until you see the terraces beside the Segura river, flooded and green in summer, with herons wading between the plants. The rice here has its own protected designation, and it is the base for paella in much of Spain. The river has carved a deep gorge, the Almadenes canyon, on its way through the hills, and in the rock above the water, hidden among limestone cliffs, there are shelters decorated with paintings made thousands of years ago. El Laberinto is one of them, part of the rock art tradition of the Mediterranean basin, listed by UNESCO.
Read the complete El Laberinto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
El Laberinto is where the day begins. Next is Cejo Cortado I.
2. 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
Cejo Cortado I comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Los Grajos.
3. 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
about 70 km into the recorded legs you reach Los Grajos. 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 Los Grajos.
5. 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 sits at 123 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cejo Cortado I.
6. 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
back through Cejo Cortado I comes up about 183 km into the recorded legs. Next is El Laberinto.
7. El Laberinto
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete El Laberinto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
El Laberinto closes the day.
Leg by leg
El Laberinto to Cejo Cortado I
El Laberinto → Cejo Cortado I is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I to Los Grajos
Cejo Cortado I → Los Grajos is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos to maina
Los Grajos → maina is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
maina to back through Los Grajos
maina → 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 back through Cejo Cortado I
back through Los Grajos → back through Cejo Cortado I is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cejo Cortado I to El Laberinto
back through Cejo Cortado I → El Laberinto is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Arco I and maina · 227 km
- Cueva-sima de la Serreta and maina · 226 km
- Los Rumies and maina · 227 km