CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
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.
A 185 km round trip from Benassal - roughly 4 h 11 in the saddle. On the way it passes Racó d'en Gil, mas d'en Josep- Abric l, Barranc del Puig- Abric I and Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Culla stands on a hilltop in the interior of Castellón, a medieval village of stone houses and narrow lanes wrapped around the remains of a castle. In the thirteenth century, after the Christian conquest, the area was granted to the Knights Templar, and later to the Order of Montesa, which explains the old walls and the sense of a place built for defence. Below the village, among the ravines and terraces, the rock shelter of Els Covarxos holds prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like many such shelters, it is protected and not easy to find on your own; enquire locally before setting off on foot.
Read the complete Els Covarxos write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Els Covarxos is where the day begins. Next is Racó d'en Gil.
There is a small triangle of country in the Alt Maestrat, between Benassal, Catí and Albocàsser, where the hills fold into narrow ravines and the stone walls of old terraces climb every slope. Racó d'en Gil, a name meaning something like Gil's corner, lies in this landscape, and it sits within easy reach of the Valltorta gorge, the place that put Levantine rock art on the map.
Read the complete Racó d'en Gil write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Racó d'en Gil comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is mas d'en Josep- Abric l.
If the rock art of eastern Spain has a capital, it is the Valltorta gorge in the Maestrat of Castellón, and the Mas d'en Josep shelter is one of its classic sites. The paintings here belong to the Levantine style, small, lively scenes of hunters with bows, running figures and animals in motion, drawn with an energy that still feels modern. One famous panel from this area shows a deer hunt; others depict archers in mid-stride. The shelters of the Valltorta are part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the museum at Tírig, near the gorge, is the place to start: it explains the art, shows reproductions, and organises guided visits to the shelters, which are fenced and protected.
Read the complete mas d'en Josep- Abric l write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 38 km into the recorded legs you reach mas d'en Josep- Abric l. Next is Barranc del Puig- Abric I.
The Maestrat is the high, rugged interior of the province of Castellón, a land of limestone plateaus, deep ravines and stone villages that seem to grow out of the rock. Near Benassal, the Barranc del Puig cuts into the hills, and its rock shelters contain prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO serial site of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. This area is one of the richest in Spain for Levantine rock art, and the nearby Valltorta gorge, between Albocàsser and Tírig, has some of the most famous paintings, including scenes of hunters chasing deer and wild goats. The Valltorta museum in Tírig explains the art and organises visits to the shelters.
Read the complete Barranc del Puig- Abric I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Barranc del Puig- Abric I, about halfway. Next is Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I.
Coves del Civil, also known as Ribasals, is one of the great concentrations of Levantine rock art in the Valltorta gorge area of Castellón province, and the number I beside its name marks the first shelter in the series. The Valltorta, a deep dry ravine running through limestone near the village of Tírig, was one of the first places where scholars recognised that this painting tradition existed, and a museum in Tírig tells how the paintings came to light. The paintings show archers, hunting scenes and animals, with a vividness that surprises anyone who expects scratchy marks on a wall.
Read the complete Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I sits at 70 km, about halfway. Next is back through Barranc del Puig- Abric I.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc del Puig- Abric I write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Barranc del Puig- Abric I comes up about 113 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete mas d'en Josep- Abric l write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 148 km into the recorded legs you reach back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l. Next is back through Racó d'en Gil.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Racó d'en Gil write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Racó d'en Gil, late in the day. Next is Els Covarxos.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Els Covarxos write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
The route ends here after 185 km.
Els Covarxos → Racó d'en Gil is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Racó d'en Gil → mas d'en Josep- Abric l is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
mas d'en Josep- Abric l → Barranc del Puig- Abric I is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc del Puig- Abric I → Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Coves del Civil o Ribasals- Abric I → back through Barranc del Puig- Abric I is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc del Puig- Abric I → back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l → back through Racó d'en Gil is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Racó d'en Gil → Els Covarxos is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.