Why this ride
148 km from Confrides to Confrides, about 3 h 07 of riding. The stops in between: Pla de Petracos- Abric I, Cova del mansano and back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Port de Confrides- Abric I and Cova del mansano
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 148 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 07
- 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. Port de Confrides- Abric I
Inland from Benidorm, barely half an hour from the high-rise towers and the beach crowds, the mountains of Alicante rise steeply and the whole mood changes. The Port de Confrides is the saddle on the CV-70 between the Guadalest valley and the upland basin of Confrides and Benasau, with the long limestone wall of the Sierra de Aitana to the south. Aitana, at 1,558 metres, is the highest peak in the province, and on a clear winter morning you can see the sea glittering behind you as you climb.
Read the complete Port de Confrides- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Port de Confrides- Abric I is where the day begins. Next is Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
2. Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Pla de Petracos is one of the most important prehistoric art sites in Spain, and it looks like nothing much: a row of shallow shelters in the side of a ravine near Castell de Castells, in the high interior of the Marina Alta. What makes it special is the style. The paintings here are among the clearest examples of what archaeologists call Macroschematic art, large, bold, almost abstract human figures with raised arms and serpentine forms, painted by the first farming communities of the region in the early Neolithic. Elsewhere in the Valencian mountains you find Levantine hunting scenes; here you find something stranger and more symbolic. A short path and viewing platforms make the panels accessible, and the information boards help you see what the eye misses at first.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pla de Petracos- Abric I comes up about 50 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova del mansano.
3. Cova del mansano
Every cyclist in Europe seems to know the Coll de Rates, and that is a good hint for motorcyclists too. The climb starts in Parcent, a few kilometres from the Cova del Mansano, and winds up the mountainside in a long sequence of smooth, well surfaced bends to a pass with a view over the whole Vall de Pop and the sea beyond. The rock shelter itself sits in the hills around Jalón, Alcalalí and Parcent, a short walk from the road, and its paintings belong to the same World Heritage group as the other Levantine shelters of the coast.
Read the complete Cova del mansano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 74 km into the recorded legs you reach Cova del mansano. Next is back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I.
4. back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pla de Petracos- 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 Pla de Petracos- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Port de Confrides- Abric I.
5. Port de Confrides- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Port de Confrides- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Port de Confrides- Abric I. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Port de Confrides- Abric I to Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Port de Confrides- Abric I → Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pla de Petracos- Abric I to Cova del mansano
Pla de Petracos- Abric I → Cova del mansano is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova del mansano to back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I
Cova del mansano → back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I to Port de Confrides- Abric I
back through Pla de Petracos- Abric I → Port de Confrides- Abric I is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.