Why this ride
A 313 km round trip from Alhama de Murcia - roughly 6 h 46 in the saddle. It goes by way of Cueva de la Plata, Abrigo del milano, Cejo Cortado I and Cueva de los Pucheros.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Los Grajos and Cueva de los Pucheros
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 313 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 46
- 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. Los Grajos
Jackdaws gave this place its name, grajos in Spanish, and they still wheel and chatter around the limestone cliffs where prehistoric people once sheltered and painted. Los Grajos lies in the hills near Alhama de Murcia, in the valley of the Guadalentín, where dry mountains rise above a plain of orchards, greenhouses and towns. The rock shelters here hold paintings in the Levantine style, and access is generally restricted to protect them.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Los Grajos is where the day begins. Next is Cueva de la Plata.
2. Cueva de la Plata
Aledo is a tiny village on a rocky spur in the hills of Murcia, a place that punches well above its weight in history. In the eleventh century, it was a fortress on the frontier between Christian Castile and the Muslim taifa kingdoms, and the siege of Aledo in 1088 was a major episode in the struggle for the peninsula. A tower still stands above the village. The Cueva de la Plata, the silver cave, lies in the hills nearby, between Aledo, Totana and Alhama de Murcia.
Read the complete Cueva de la Plata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de la Plata comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abrigo del milano.
3. Abrigo del milano
Bullas is wine country, and the vineyards of Monastrell grapes roll over the hills around the town in the northwest of Murcia, producing robust red wines under their own denomination of origin. The Abrigo del Milano, the kite's shelter, named after the bird of prey that circles over these hills, lies in the countryside between Bullas, Mula and Pliego. It is one of the many rock shelters in Murcia with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art, though access to many shelters is restricted to protect them, so ask locally before trying to visit.
Read the complete Abrigo del milano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 90 km into the recorded legs you reach Abrigo del milano. Next is Cejo Cortado I.
4. Cejo Cortado I
Mula is a town in the heart of the Murcia region, built on the slopes of a hill crowned by a sixteenth-century castle, with an old quarter of narrow streets, noble houses and churches. Around it, a dry landscape of hills, ravines and badlands opens out, with orchards and olive groves along the river. The Cejo Cortado, a name meaning the cut brow, refers to a rocky escarpment with prehistoric shelters about seven kilometres from the town, between Mula, Albudeite and Ricote.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cejo Cortado I, about halfway. Next is Cueva de los Pucheros.
5. Cueva de los Pucheros
North-west of Cieza, the Segura river cuts through a dry landscape of limestone ridges, almond and fruit orchards, and rice fields that look out of place in arid Murcia. The Cueva de los Pucheros, a rock shelter in these hills between Cieza and Calasparra, is one of the many sites in the region holding prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like most of these shelters, it is fragile and often protected by a fence, and access may require a guided visit arranged through the local authorities.
Read the complete Cueva de los Pucheros write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cueva de los Pucheros sits at 93 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cejo Cortado I.
6. back through Cejo Cortado I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cejo Cortado I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cejo Cortado I comes up about 197 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Abrigo del milano.
7. back through Abrigo del milano
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrigo del milano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 223 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Abrigo del milano. Next is back through Cueva de la Plata.
8. back through Cueva de la Plata
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cueva de la Plata 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 la Plata, late in the day. Next is Los Grajos.
9. Los Grajos
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Los Grajos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 313 km.
Leg by leg
Los Grajos to Cueva de la Plata
Los Grajos → Cueva de la Plata is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Plata to Abrigo del milano
Cueva de la Plata → Abrigo del milano is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del milano to Cejo Cortado I
Abrigo del milano → Cejo Cortado I is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I to Cueva de los Pucheros
Cejo Cortado I → Cueva de los Pucheros is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de los Pucheros to back through Cejo Cortado I
Cueva de los Pucheros → back through Cejo Cortado I is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cejo Cortado I to back through Abrigo del milano
back through Cejo Cortado I → back through Abrigo del milano is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo del milano to back through Cueva de la Plata
back through Abrigo del milano → back through Cueva de la Plata is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de la Plata to Los Grajos
back through Cueva de la Plata → Los Grajos is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.