Why this ride
A 185 km round trip from Altea - roughly 3 h 10 in the saddle. On the way it passes Barranc de Galistero, Al Patró and back through Barranc de Galistero.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Penya del Vicari and Al Patró
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 185 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 10
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Penya del Vicari
On a map of the Costa Blanca, the Serra de Bernia looks like a wall dropped between two very different worlds. On one side, high-rise Benidorm and the busy coast; on the other, the quiet valleys of Jalón and Guadalest. The Penya del Vicari is one of the rocky outcrops in these hills above Altea and Calp, a place where the limestone is cut by caves and shelters, some of which carry traces of prehistoric painting. It is a small, quiet site in an area otherwise famous for sun loungers.
Read the complete Penya del Vicari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penya del Vicari is where the day begins. Next is Barranc de Galistero.
2. Barranc de Galistero
Castell de Castells is a village of about four hundred people at the heart of the Marina Alta's high valleys, and it is one of the most important places for rock art in the Valencian country. The Barranc de Galistero is a ravine nearby, and the shelter in it belongs to the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin that UNESCO inscribed in 1998. The village is also near the Pla de Petracos, a famous rock shelter with remarkable paintings that attracts specialists from around the world, so a day in the area can include several sites. The painted shelters are fragile and often have limited access, so check before you go.
Read the complete Barranc de Galistero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de Galistero comes up about 50 km into the recorded legs. Next is Al Patró.
3. Al Patró
The Vall d'Ebo is one of those valleys that history has emptied. In 1609 the Spanish crown ordered the expulsion of the Moriscos, the descendants of the region's Muslim population, and in the mountains of the Marina Alta, many villages lost almost everyone overnight. Some Moriscos resisted in the high cliffs of the Muela de Cortes before the end came. Vall d'Ebo today has barely three hundred inhabitants, and its terraced fields, built by Morisco farmers for irrigation, are still visible as stone steps climbing the hillsides.
Read the complete Al Patró write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 94 km into the recorded legs you reach Al Patró. Next is back through Barranc de Galistero.
4. back through Barranc de Galistero
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de Galistero 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 Galistero, late in the day. Next is Penya del Vicari.
5. Penya del Vicari
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penya del Vicari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Penya del Vicari. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Penya del Vicari to Barranc de Galistero
Penya del Vicari → Barranc de Galistero is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de Galistero to Al Patró
Barranc de Galistero → Al Patró is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al Patró to back through Barranc de Galistero
Al Patró → back through Barranc de Galistero is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de Galistero to Penya del Vicari
back through Barranc de Galistero → Penya del Vicari is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.