Penya de Benicadell and Garganta de la Hoz I

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Penya de Benicadell

   From almost anywhere in the southern half of Valencia province you can see it: a long, jagged ridge of grey limestone with a sharp tooth at its eastern end, standing on the skyline like a broken saw. The Benicadell, at 1,104 metres, separates the Vall d'Albaida to the north from the Comtat to the south, and the sharp summit, the Penya, is the mountain's signature. At its foot lie the villages of Beniarrés, Ràfol de Salem and Otos.

   Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Penya de Benicadell is where the day begins. Next is Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I.

2. 2. 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

   Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Garganta de la Hoz I.

3. 3. Garganta de la Hoz I

   Behind the beaches and high-rises of the Costa Blanca, a few kilometres inland from Alicante and El Campello, the land rises quickly into dry limestone hills, scrub and almond terraces. This is the beginning of the Betic ranges, and the area is cut by ravines, barrancos, which carry water only after heavy storms and have carved gorges in the soft rock. Garganta de la Hoz is the name of such a gorge, a narrow cut in the hills, and the I suggests that more than one point on the ride lies along it.

   Read the complete Garganta de la Hoz I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 131 km into the recorded legs you reach Garganta de la Hoz I. Next is back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I.

4. 4. back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Cova de la Catxupa- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Penya de Benicadell.

5. 5. Penya de Benicadell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Penya de Benicadell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Penya de Benicadell. That is the ride.