Why this ride
From Villajoyosa it runs 126 km to Villajoyosa; allow about 2 h 10 of riding. It goes by way of Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi, Palmeral of Elche and back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Garganta de la Hoz I and Palmeral of Elche
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 126 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 10
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Garganta de la Hoz I
Behind the beaches and high-rises of the Costa Blanca, a few kilometres inland from Alicante and El Campello, the land rises quickly into dry limestone hills, scrub and almond terraces. This is the beginning of the Betic ranges, and the area is cut by ravines, barrancos, which carry water only after heavy storms and have carved gorges in the soft rock. Garganta de la Hoz is the name of such a gorge, a narrow cut in the hills, and the I suggests that more than one point on the ride lies along it.
Read the complete Garganta de la Hoz I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Garganta de la Hoz I is where the day begins. Next is Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi.
2. Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi
The Carabassí is one of the last stretches of wild-ish coast between Alicante and Santa Pola: a line of dunes held together by pine and marram grass, a long beach, and the sea glittering under the flight path of Alicante airport. In the low rocky ground behind it lies a small cave known for painted marks, the Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassí, close to the village of El Altet and a short hop from Santa Pola.
Read the complete Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is Palmeral of Elche.
3. Palmeral of Elche
Riding into Elche from the dry hills of southern Alicante, the sudden forest of date palms feels like a mistake of geography, as if a piece of North Africa had been set down in Spain. In a sense it was. The palm groves were laid out in their present form during the Islamic period, when Arab settlers brought an irrigation system of channels fed by the Vinalopó river and arranged the orchards in walled plots, with palms on the edges and crops beneath. Tens of thousands of palms remain today in and around the city, the largest palm grove in Europe, and the Palmeral was added to the UNESCO list in 2000.
Read the complete Palmeral of Elche write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 63 km into the recorded legs you reach Palmeral of Elche. Next is back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi.
4. back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi 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 las Arañas del Carabassi, late in the day. Next is Garganta de la Hoz I.
5. Garganta de la Hoz I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Garganta de la Hoz I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Garganta de la Hoz I. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Garganta de la Hoz I to Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi
Garganta de la Hoz I → Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi to Palmeral of Elche
Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi → Palmeral of Elche is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Palmeral of Elche to back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi
Palmeral of Elche → back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi to Garganta de la Hoz I
back through Cueva de las Arañas del Carabassi → Garganta de la Hoz I is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.