Why this ride
308 km from Altea to Altea, about 7 h 21 of riding. It goes by way of Barranc de Galistero, Al Patró, Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners and Barranc de Beniali- Abric l.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Penya del Vicari and Barranc de Beniali- Abric l
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 308 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 21
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. 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 17 km in. 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
35 km in you reach Al Patró. Next is Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners.
4. Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners
Somewhere up in these limestone folds, thousands of years ago, someone painted little figures on the rock that are still there. The Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners is one of many painted shelters in the Marina Alta, the north-eastern corner of the province of Alicante, which form part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The shelters hold Levantine, Schematic and older Macroschematic paintings, showing hunters, animals and abstract shapes, and many are protected by fences and only visitable with a guide. The valleys around Murla, Orba and Tormos are full of them.
Read the complete Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners, about halfway. Next is Barranc de Beniali- Abric l.
5. Barranc de Beniali- Abric l
The Vall de Gallinera is one of those valleys that seems to exist slightly outside time. Running east to west in the mountains of northern Alicante, it holds eight tiny villages strung along a single road, terraced slopes of cherry trees, and above them limestone ridges cut by steep ravines. The Barranc de Beniali is one of those ravines, and in a shelter on its walls prehistoric people painted figures that are now part of the World Heritage site of Levantine rock art. The valley next door, the Vall d'Ebo, is just as wild, and its Cova del Rull is a show cave full of stalactites.
Read the complete Barranc de Beniali- Abric l write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de Beniali- Abric l sits at 69 km, about halfway. Next is back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners.
6. back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners comes up 86 km in. Next is back through Al Patró.
7. back through Al Patró
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
104 km in you reach back through Al Patró. Next is back through Barranc de Galistero.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 308 km.
Leg by leg
Penya del Vicari to Barranc de Galistero
Penya del Vicari → Barranc de Galistero is 19 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 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al Patró to Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners
Al Patró → Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners to Barranc de Beniali- Abric l
Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners → Barranc de Beniali- Abric l is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de Beniali- Abric l to back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners
Barranc de Beniali- Abric l → back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners to back through Al Patró
back through Racó de la Cova dels Llidoners → back through Al Patró is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Al Patró to back through Barranc de Galistero
back through Al Patró → back through Barranc de Galistero is 17 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 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.