Why this ride
A 230 km round trip from Benasau - roughly 4 h 55 in the saddle. On the way it passes Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I, Barraac de la Palla, Cova Jeroni and Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Morro Carrascal and Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 230 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 55
- 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. Morro Carrascal
Inland from Benidorm, barely half an hour from the tower blocks and beaches, the mountains of the Alicante interior rise steep and empty. Morro Carrascal is a rocky height in this country, near the villages of Benilloba, Sella and Benimantell, where the sierras of Aitana, Serrella and Mariola come together. Shelters in these mountains hold prehistoric paintings in both the Levantine and the older Macroschematic styles, and they belong to the World Heritage listing of Iberian rock art.
Read the complete Morro Carrascal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Morro Carrascal is where the day begins. Next is Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I, 17 km on.
2. Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I
Castell de Castells is a village of fewer than five hundred people tucked under the Serrella ridge, and everything about it feels like the far end of something. The Morro Carrascal, the label given to this stretch of country, is a rocky crest above the Barranc de Bil.la, a dry ravine in the mountains of the Marina Alta where the Valencian coast gives way to a rumpled interior of limestone, pine and terraced slopes. The ravine holds painted shelters belonging to the Levantine rock art of the Spanish Mediterranean, which UNESCO listed in 1998.
Read the complete Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barraac de la Palla.
3. Barraac de la Palla
Tormos and Sagra are tiny villages at the foot of the mountains in the north of Alicante province, at the point where the plain of the Marina Alta meets the hills. They are surrounded by orange groves and orchards, with the mountains of the Vall de Laguar and the Serra del Migdia rising steeply behind. The Barranc de la Palla, the ravine of the straw, cuts into the hills near Tormos, close also to Orba and the town of Pego.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Barraac de la Palla. Next is Cova Jeroni.
4. Cova Jeroni
Cova Jeroni belongs to that quiet tangle of valleys behind Pego and Dénia where the Marina Alta hides its oldest stories. The shelters in this part of Alicante, along the ravines of Famorca, Ebo and Gallinera, carry some of the finest prehistoric art in eastern Spain, and they are listed together with hundreds of others as the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. Do not expect a visitor centre and a car park; expect a dirt track, a short walk, a rock overhang and a few ochre figures that reward a long look.
Read the complete Cova Jeroni write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova Jeroni, about halfway. Next is Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l.
5. Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
Castelló de Rugat sits on the southern rim of the Vall d'Albaida, a broad valley in the south of Valencia province hemmed in by mountain ridges. On one side rises the long saw-toothed crest of the Benicadell, on the other the Serra de la Solana, and between them lies a patchwork of vineyards, olive groves and small towns with church towers. The Barranc de les Coves, the ravine of the caves, cuts into the slopes near Castelló de Rugat, Ràfol de Salem and Beniarrés, and its first shelter holds painted figures.
Read the complete Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l sits at 68 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cova Jeroni.
6. back through Cova Jeroni
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova Jeroni write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova Jeroni comes up about 149 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Barraac de la Palla.
7. back through Barraac de la Palla
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barraac de la Palla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 171 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Barraac de la Palla. Next is back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I, 17 km on.
8. back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Morro Carrascal.
9. Morro Carrascal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Morro Carrascal 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 230 km.
Leg by leg
Morro Carrascal to Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I
Morro Carrascal → Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I to Barraac de la Palla
Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I → Barraac de la Palla is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barraac de la Palla to Cova Jeroni
Barraac de la Palla → Cova Jeroni is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova Jeroni to Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l
Cova Jeroni → Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l to back through Cova Jeroni
Barranc de les Coves- Abrigo l → back through Cova Jeroni is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova Jeroni to back through Barraac de la Palla
back through Cova Jeroni → back through Barraac de la Palla is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barraac de la Palla to back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I
back through Barraac de la Palla → back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I to Morro Carrascal
back through Barranc de Bil.la- Abric I → Morro Carrascal is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.