La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia and La Peña del Castellar
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
491 km
Riding-time estimate
8 h 49
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.
491 km from Valencia to Valencia, about 8 h 49 of riding. On the way it passes Balma de la fabriqueta, Abric mas de los Perez, El Corral de Silla- Abric l and La Peña del Castellar. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 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 Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
In the heart of Valencia's old town, a Gothic building with crenellated walls and gargoyles looks more like a castle than a market, and that was rather the point. The Lonja de la Seda, the silk exchange, was built in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries when Valencia was one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean, and it was meant to show the power of its merchants. Its great hall, the Sala de Contratación, is one of the masterpieces of late Gothic architecture, with slender columns that twist like palm trunks up to a ribbed vault. It was listed by UNESCO in 1996.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia is where the day begins. Next is Balma de la fabriqueta.
2. Balma de la fabriqueta
The Serra Calderona is the green ridge that rises north-west of Valencia, separating the city's plain from the valleys of the interior. It is a natural park of pine forest, cork oak and rocky hills, close enough to the city for weekend walkers and riders, yet surprisingly wild once you get into it. The rock shelter of Balma de la Fabriqueta lies near the village of Olocau on its southern side, one of the painted shelters that make up the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO. Access to many of these sites is restricted or guided, so check with the local tourist office before trying to visit.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Balma de la fabriqueta comes up about 36 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric mas de los Perez.
3. Abric mas de los Perez
Between the Turia and the Palancia rivers, northwest of Valencia, the land rises into a maze of limestone mountains, pine forest and small villages that rarely see foreign visitors. The Abric del Mas de los Pérez is a rock shelter in the hills near Andilla, Viver and Alcublas, one of hundreds of painted sites in eastern Spain listed by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. These shelters were decorated by hunter-gatherers and early farmers thousands of years ago, and while some feature vivid hunting scenes, many are faint and hard to see without a trained eye. Respect any fences and signs, and never wet or touch the rock.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 89 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric mas de los Perez. Next is El Corral de Silla- Abric l.
4. El Corral de Silla- Abric l
The Valencia hinterland hides one of Europe's oldest art galleries in the cracks of its limestone. Corral de Silla is one of the rock shelters of the Mediterranean Basin rock art, a group of sites in eastern Spain that UNESCO listed in 1998. The paintings are in the Levantine style, small, lively figures of archers, deer and wild goats in red or black pigment, and are thought to be thousands of years old, with the exact dates still debated by specialists. Access to such shelters is often controlled, and many are reached only on foot, so it is worth checking before arriving.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
El Corral de Silla- Abric l, about halfway. Next is La Peña del Castellar.
5. La Peña del Castellar
Villar del Humo is a tiny village in the Serranía of Cuenca, the high, forested mountain country east of the city of Cuenca. Around it, sandstone outcrops rise from pine forests, and on their faces prehistoric painters left images of animals and people. The Peña del Escrito and La Peña del Castellar are among the most important shelters here, and they are part of the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The paintings include deer, horses and human figures, some in the dynamic Levantine style and others more schematic.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 491 km.
Leg by leg
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia to Balma de la fabriqueta
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia → Balma de la fabriqueta is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Balma de la fabriqueta to Abric mas de los Perez
Balma de la fabriqueta → Abric mas de los Perez is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric mas de los Perez to El Corral de Silla- Abric l
Abric mas de los Perez → El Corral de Silla- Abric l is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
El Corral de Silla- Abric l to La Peña del Castellar
El Corral de Silla- Abric l → La Peña del Castellar is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
La Peña del Castellar to back through El Corral de Silla- Abric l
La Peña del Castellar → back through El Corral de Silla- Abric l is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through El Corral de Silla- Abric l to back through Abric mas de los Perez
back through El Corral de Silla- Abric l → back through Abric mas de los Perez is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric mas de los Perez to back through Balma de la fabriqueta
back through Abric mas de los Perez → back through Balma de la fabriqueta is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Balma de la fabriqueta to La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
back through Balma de la fabriqueta → La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.