La Covassa del molinell and Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
108 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 29
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.
From Benassal it runs 108 km to Benassal; allow about 2 h 29 of riding. The stops in between: molí Darrer- Abric I, Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla and back through molí Darrer- Abric I. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. La Covassa del molinell
Benassal and Culla are mountain villages in the Alt Maestrat, in the interior of the province of Castelló, a region of limestone plateaus, deep gorges and stone walls that feels a world away from the beaches of the coast. La Covassa del Molinell, a large rock shelter near Benassal, is one of many in the Maestrat with prehistoric paintings. The region is one of the richest areas for Levantine rock art, with the famous shelters of the Valltorta gorge, near Tírig, just to the east.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Covassa del molinell is where the day begins. Next is molí Darrer- Abric I.
2. molí Darrer- Abric I
The Alt Maestrat is the high, rugged interior of Castellón province, a country of limestone plateaus, deep ravines and stone villages perched on ridges, and it is crossed by a web of dry-stone walls that farmers have been building and rebuilding for centuries. Near the villages of Benassal, Catí and Villafranca del Cid, under a rock overhang beside an old mill site, the shelter called Molí Darrer holds prehistoric paintings, part of the scattered Levantine rock art that UNESCO inscribed as one site across eastern Spain.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
molí Darrer- Abric I comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla.
3. Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla
This is high Maestrat country, where Castellón's mountains roll into Teruel's, and the small rock shelter called the Covatina del Tossalet del Mas de la Rambla belongs to a family of sites that UNESCO lists together as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Under overhangs like this one, hunters and early farmers painted small, lively figures in red and black: archers in mid-stride, deer and ibex, scenes of hunting and gathering. The style, called Levantine art, is unusual for its movement and its storytelling, and many of the shelters are tiny, fragile and kept behind fences. Access is often by guided visit only, so check with the local tourist office before you count on seeing the paintings.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at La Covassa del molinell. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
La Covassa del molinell to molí Darrer- Abric I
La Covassa del molinell → molí Darrer- Abric I is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
molí Darrer- Abric I to Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla
molí Darrer- Abric I → Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla to back through molí Darrer- Abric I
Covatina del Tossalet del mas de !a Rambla → back through molí Darrer- Abric I is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through molí Darrer- Abric I to La Covassa del molinell
back through molí Darrer- Abric I → La Covassa del molinell is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.