Palmeral of Elche and Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Palmeral of Elche

   Riding into Elche from the dry hills of southern Alicante, the sudden forest of date palms feels like a mistake of geography, as if a piece of North Africa had been set down in Spain. In a sense it was. The palm groves were laid out in their present form during the Islamic period, when Arab settlers brought an irrigation system of channels fed by the Vinalopó river and arranged the orchards in walled plots, with palms on the edges and crops beneath. Tens of thousands of palms remain today in and around the city, the largest palm grove in Europe, and the Palmeral was added to the UNESCO list in 2000.

   Read the complete Palmeral of Elche write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Palmeral of Elche is where the day begins. Next is La Sarga- Abric I.

2. 2. La Sarga- Abric I

   Alcoy, or Alcoi in Valencian, is a city of bridges, built where three rivers meet in deep ravines, in the mountains of northern Alicante. It was one of the cradles of Spain's industrial revolution, with textile and paper mills powered by its rivers, and its streets have fine modernist buildings from that era. It is also famous for its Moors and Christians festival in April, one of the most spectacular in Spain, with parades, music and mock battles in honour of Saint George. The rock shelters of La Sarga lie in the hills about eight kilometres from the city, toward Ibi.

   Read the complete La Sarga- Abric I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   La Sarga- Abric I comes up about 69 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I.

3. 3. Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I

   The Marina Alta is the northern Costa Blanca at its most mixed: villas on every slope, a ribbon of coast running from Moraira to Jávea, and just behind it, farm terraces, dry stone walls and small rock shelters where prehistoric people left their mark. The Cova de la Catxupa, near Teulada and Benitachell, is one of them, a shelter in the hills a few kilometres from the sea, listed with the other Mediterranean rock art of the Iberian Peninsula.

   Read the complete Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 170 km into the recorded legs you reach Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I. Next is back through La Sarga- Abric I.

4. 4. back through La Sarga- Abric I

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete La Sarga- 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 La Sarga- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Palmeral of Elche.

5. 5. Palmeral of Elche

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Palmeral of Elche write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Palmeral of Elche. That is the ride.