Why this ride
102 km from Borriol to Borriol, about 1 h 57 of riding. On the way it passes Cova alta del Llidoner, Castell de Villafamés and back through Cova alta del Llidoner.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
La Joquera and Castell de Villafamés
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 102 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 57
- 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. La Joquera
Just behind Castelló de la Plana, where the coastal plain meets the first hills, the ravine of La Joquera cuts into the limestone near the village of Borriol. Its shelters hold prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean basin, and the area has been studied for its archaeology for decades. It is unusual to find such ancient art so close to a large modern city, and the contrast between the busy plain below, with its orange groves, factories and motorways, and the quiet hills above is striking.
Read the complete La Joquera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Joquera is where the day begins. Next is Cova alta del Llidoner.
2. Cova alta del Llidoner
Most people come to this stretch of the Castellón coast for the beaches at Benicàssim and Oropesa, and they never look up at the dry, scrubby hills a few kilometres inland. Up there, among the pines, rosemary and limestone ledges near Cabanes, the Cova alta del Llidoner is one of the rock shelters with prehistoric paintings that belong to the World Heritage site of Levantine rock art. It is a quiet, unshowy place, more about the feel of the land than about anything you can photograph.
Read the complete Cova alta del Llidoner write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova alta del Llidoner comes up about 24 km into the recorded legs. Next is Castell de Villafamés.
3. Castell de Villafamés
Villafamés announces itself from a long way off: a village of white and ochre houses stacked up a hill of reddish rock, with the remains of a castle crowning the top. It stands a little inland from the coast of Castellón, roughly between Borriol, Cabanes and the beach town of Benicàssim, close enough to the sea that you can smell salt on a westerly breeze turning, yet already in that rumpled hill country that leads up into the Maestrat.
Read the complete Castell de Villafamés write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 50 km into the recorded legs you reach Castell de Villafamés. Next is back through Cova alta del Llidoner.
4. back through Cova alta del Llidoner
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova alta del Llidoner write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova alta del Llidoner, late in the day. Next is La Joquera.
5. La Joquera
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Joquera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at La Joquera. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
La Joquera to Cova alta del Llidoner
La Joquera → Cova alta del Llidoner is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova alta del Llidoner to Castell de Villafamés
Cova alta del Llidoner → Castell de Villafamés is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castell de Villafamés to back through Cova alta del Llidoner
Castell de Villafamés → back through Cova alta del Llidoner is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova alta del Llidoner to La Joquera
back through Cova alta del Llidoner → La Joquera is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.