Why this ride
A 288 km round trip from Totana - roughly 6 h 01 in the saddle. It goes by way of Cueva de la Plata, Los Grajos, Abrigo del milano and Cejo Cortado I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
maina and Cejo Cortado I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 288 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 01
- 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. maina
Maina is an obscure name on the map in the Murcian hills north-west of Totana, where the Sierra Espuña rises above the valley of the Guadalentín. It refers to a rock shelter or painted site in the dry limestone country, part of the cluster of prehistoric art sites around here included in the World Heritage listing of Levantine rock art. As with many such places, there is often little to see without a guide, but the landscape around it is worth the ride.
Read the complete maina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
maina 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 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Los Grajos.
3. 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
about 75 km into the recorded legs you reach Los Grajos. Next is Abrigo del milano.
4. 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
Abrigo del milano, about halfway. Next is Cejo Cortado I.
5. 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 sits at 104 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abrigo del milano.
6. 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
back through Abrigo del milano comes up about 177 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Los Grajos.
7. back through 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
about 215 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Los Grajos. 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 maina.
9. maina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete maina 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 288 km.
Leg by leg
maina to Cueva de la Plata
maina → Cueva de la Plata is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cueva de la Plata to Los Grajos
Cueva de la Plata → Los Grajos is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Los Grajos to Abrigo del milano
Los Grajos → Abrigo del milano is 38 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 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cejo Cortado I to back through Abrigo del milano
Cejo Cortado I → back through Abrigo del milano is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrigo del milano to back through Los Grajos
back through Abrigo del milano → back through Los Grajos is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Los Grajos to back through Cueva de la Plata
back through Los Grajos → back through Cueva de la Plata is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cueva de la Plata to maina
back through Cueva de la Plata → maina is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Los Grajos and Abrigo del milano · 188 km
- Cueva de la Plata and Abrigo del milano · 165 km