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.
From Ares del Maestre it runs 313 km to Ares del Maestre; allow about 6 h 44 of riding. It goes by way of mas d'en Josep- Abric l, Abric del mas dels Ous, Valmayor V and back through Abric del mas dels Ous. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,100 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. molí Darrer- Abric I
The Alt Maestrat is the high, rugged interior of Castellón province, a country of limestone plateaus, deep ravines and stone villages perched on ridges, and it is crossed by a web of dry-stone walls that farmers have been building and rebuilding for centuries. Near the villages of Benassal, Catí and Villafranca del Cid, under a rock overhang beside an old mill site, the shelter called Molí Darrer holds prehistoric paintings, part of the scattered Levantine rock art that UNESCO inscribed as one site across eastern Spain.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
molí Darrer- Abric I is where the day begins. Next is mas d'en Josep- Abric l.
2. 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 comes up about 36 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del mas dels Ous.
3. Abric del mas dels Ous
Xert is the kind of village you pass through on the way to somewhere else and then wonder why you did not stop. It lies in the Baix Maestrat in northern Castellón, below a ridge of bare limestone, with the old village climbing the slope and a newer part down by the road. The shelter called the Abric del Mas dels Ous, the shelter of the farmhouse of the eggs, is out in the dry hills nearby, between Xert, Canet lo Roig and Rosell.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 61 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric del mas dels Ous. Next is Valmayor V.
4. Valmayor V
The Matarraña, in the far east of Teruel province, is often called the Tuscany of Aragon, and for once the comparison holds. Stone villages crown hilltops above olive groves and vineyards, rivers run clear through limestone gorges, and the light in the evening is honey-coloured. Valmayor is a ravine in the hills here, between Valderrobres, Fuentespalda and the Catalan border, and its shelters hold prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. As elsewhere, they are protected, and visits are best arranged through local tourist offices.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
molí Darrer- Abric I closes the day.
Leg by leg
molí Darrer- Abric I to mas d'en Josep- Abric l
molí Darrer- Abric I → mas d'en Josep- Abric l is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
mas d'en Josep- Abric l to Abric del mas dels Ous
mas d'en Josep- Abric l → Abric del mas dels Ous is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del mas dels Ous to Valmayor V
Abric del mas dels Ous → Valmayor V is 96 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Valmayor V to back through Abric del mas dels Ous
Valmayor V → back through Abric del mas dels Ous is 96 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric del mas dels Ous to back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l
back through Abric del mas dels Ous → back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l to molí Darrer- Abric I
back through mas d'en Josep- Abric l → molí Darrer- Abric I is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.