mas d'en Josep- Abric l and Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
302 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 44
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.
A 302 km round trip from Albocàsser - roughly 5 h 44 in the saddle. It goes by way of Villaroges, Barranco de Gibert II, Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d and back through Barranco de Gibert II. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,400 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. mas d'en Josep- Abric l
If the rock art of eastern Spain has a capital, it is the Valltorta gorge in the Maestrat of Castellón, and the Mas d'en Josep shelter is one of its classic sites. The paintings here belong to the Levantine style, small, lively scenes of hunters with bows, running figures and animals in motion, drawn with an energy that still feels modern. One famous panel from this area shows a deer hunt; others depict archers in mid-stride. The shelters of the Valltorta are part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the museum at Tírig, near the gorge, is the place to start: it explains the art, shows reproductions, and organises guided visits to the shelters, which are fenced and protected.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
mas d'en Josep- Abric l is where the day begins. Next is Villaroges.
2. Villaroges
Villaroges is one of those names that appears on a map of prehistoric sites rather than a road atlas, somewhere in the high country of the Alt Maestrat between Benassal, Culla and Vilafranca. It belongs to the extraordinary concentration of rock art in the mountains of Castellón, where small painted shelters are scattered through the ravines, protected as part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. Exactly where the panel lies, and whether it can be visited, is a question for the local tourist office or the museum at Tírig; treat the name as an invitation into one of the emptiest and most beautiful corners of eastern Spain.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Villaroges comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranco de Gibert II.
3. Barranco de Gibert II
Up on the roof of the Maestrazgo, where Teruel and Castellón meet, the land rises above fourteen hundred metres into a bleak, beautiful plateau of pasture, pine and limestone. Mosqueruela, on the Aragonese side, is one of the highest villages in the area, and Vilafranca, on the Valencian side, sits in a valley below. The Barranco de Gibert cuts into the hills between them, close also to La Iglesuela del Cid, and its second shelter holds prehistoric paintings.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 66 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranco de Gibert II. Next is Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d.
4. Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
The Guadalope river cuts a deep canyon through the limestone of the Maestrazgo in eastern Teruel, and the Abrigo del Arenal de la Fonseca lies in this wild country near the hamlet of Ladruñán, between the villages of Castellote and Cantavieja. It is one of the important rock-art shelters of Aragon, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art, with Levantine paintings of animals and human figures in red pigment on the rock. The setting is spectacular: a narrow gorge with towering cliffs, the river flowing below, and pine and holm oak clinging to the slopes. Access involves a walk, and the paintings are protected by a fence.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
mas d'en Josep- Abric l closes the day.
Leg by leg
mas d'en Josep- Abric l to Villaroges
mas d'en Josep- Abric l → Villaroges is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Villaroges to Barranco de Gibert II
Villaroges → Barranco de Gibert II is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranco de Gibert II to Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d
Barranco de Gibert II → Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d is 86 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d to back through Barranco de Gibert II
Abrigo del Arenal de la fonseca ó Abrigo d → back through Barranco de Gibert II is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranco de Gibert II to back through Villaroges
back through Barranco de Gibert II → back through Villaroges is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Villaroges to mas d'en Josep- Abric l
back through Villaroges → mas d'en Josep- Abric l is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.