Peñón de Santo Espíritu and El Corral de Silla- Abric l
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
346 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 59
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.
346 km from Segart to Segart, about 5 h 59 of riding. It goes by way of Balma de la fabriqueta, Abric mas de los Perez, El Corral de Silla- Abric l and back through Abric mas de los Perez. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Peñón de Santo Espíritu
Behind the orange groves of the Camp de Morvedre, a few kilometres inland from Sagunto, the land rises into the Sierra Calderona, a low range of pine woods, scrub and red sandstone that separates the coastal plain from the dry interior. The Peñón de Santo Espíritu is a rocky outcrop in these hills above the village of Gilet, and it carries prehistoric rock art in the Levantine tradition, the style of painted hunters, animals and human figures found in shelters along the Mediterranean side of Spain and listed by UNESCO as the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The paintings are fragile and often protected, so do not expect to wander up and touch anything.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Peñón de Santo Espíritu is where the day begins. Next is Balma de la fabriqueta.
2. Balma de la fabriqueta
The Serra Calderona is the green ridge that rises north-west of Valencia, separating the city's plain from the valleys of the interior. It is a natural park of pine forest, cork oak and rocky hills, close enough to the city for weekend walkers and riders, yet surprisingly wild once you get into it. The rock shelter of Balma de la Fabriqueta lies near the village of Olocau on its southern side, one of the painted shelters that make up the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO. Access to many of these sites is restricted or guided, so check with the local tourist office before trying to visit.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Balma de la fabriqueta comes up about 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric mas de los Perez.
3. Abric mas de los Perez
Between the Turia and the Palancia rivers, northwest of Valencia, the land rises into a maze of limestone mountains, pine forest and small villages that rarely see foreign visitors. The Abric del Mas de los Pérez is a rock shelter in the hills near Andilla, Viver and Alcublas, one of hundreds of painted sites in eastern Spain listed by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin. These shelters were decorated by hunter-gatherers and early farmers thousands of years ago, and while some feature vivid hunting scenes, many are faint and hard to see without a trained eye. Respect any fences and signs, and never wet or touch the rock.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 107 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric mas de los Perez. Next is El Corral de Silla- Abric l.
4. El Corral de Silla- Abric l
The Valencia hinterland hides one of Europe's oldest art galleries in the cracks of its limestone. Corral de Silla is one of the rock shelters of the Mediterranean Basin rock art, a group of sites in eastern Spain that UNESCO listed in 1998. The paintings are in the Levantine style, small, lively figures of archers, deer and wild goats in red or black pigment, and are thought to be thousands of years old, with the exact dates still debated by specialists. Access to such shelters is often controlled, and many are reached only on foot, so it is worth checking before arriving.