Why this ride
A 393 km round trip from Confrides - roughly 6 h 18 in the saddle. The stops in between: Abric de Lambert, Abric del Espolón del Zapatero and back through Abric de Lambert. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II and Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 393 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 18
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II
Cocentaina lies in the green hollow of the Comtat, a valley in the Alicante hills, with its palace and castle watching the Serpis river from the edge of town. Above and to the east rise limestone crags, among them the Penyó de les Carrasques, named for the carrasca, the holm oak that clings to dry slopes here. A rock shelter in the cliff, Abric II, preserves prehistoric paintings, part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin listed by UNESCO in 1998. As elsewhere in this tradition, the figures are small and fragile, and access can be restricted.
Read the complete Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II is where the day begins. Next is Abric de Lambert.
2. Abric de Lambert
Cullera is not where most people would look for prehistory. It is a busy beach town at the mouth of the Júcar, with high-rise apartments along the sand, a lighthouse on the point and rice fields stretching inland toward the Albufera lagoon. But the town has a mountain at its back, a limestone outcrop crowned by a castle and a sanctuary, and in that rock there are shelters, including the one known as the Abric de Lambert.
Read the complete Abric de Lambert write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de Lambert comes up about 106 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric del Espolón del Zapatero.
3. Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
The Cortes de Pallás area, in the interior of Valencia province, is one of the wildest places within an hour or two of the coast. The Júcar river has carved a deep canyon through the limestone, and the Muela de Cortes, a high plateau of rock and scrub, rises above it. Bicorp, Quesa and Millares are small villages on its edge, and the roads that link them are some of the twistiest in the region, with sections that cling to the sides of the gorge and open on huge views. Griffon vultures and golden eagles use the cliffs, and the pine woods are home to wild boar and roe deer.
Read the complete Abric del Espolón del Zapatero write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 197 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric del Espolón del Zapatero. Next is back through Abric de Lambert.
4. back through Abric de Lambert
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de Lambert write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de Lambert, late in the day. Next is Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II.
5. Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II to Abric de Lambert
Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II → Abric de Lambert is 106 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Abric de Lambert to Abric del Espolón del Zapatero
Abric de Lambert → Abric del Espolón del Zapatero is 91 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero to back through Abric de Lambert
Abric del Espolón del Zapatero → back through Abric de Lambert is 89 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de Lambert to Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II
back through Abric de Lambert → Penyó de les Carrasques- Abric II is 108 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.