Why this ride
218 km from Benifallim to Benifallim, about 4 h 45 of riding. It goes by way of Cova Alta- Abric I, Pinós, Coves Santes de Dalt and back through Pinós. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Port de Penaguila- Abric II and Coves Santes de Dalt
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 218 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 45
- 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 Penaguila- Abric II
The Port de Penàguila is a mountain pass in the interior of Alicante province, on the road between Alcoy and the Vall de Guadalest, where the hills of the Comtat rise toward the Serra d'Aitana, the highest range in the province. The village of Penàguila, below the pass, is a small, ancient place huddled beneath a castle on a rocky crest, and Benilloba, Cocentaina and Alcoy are all close. The second shelter of the Port de Penàguila is one of several painted sites in the area.
Read the complete Port de Penaguila- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Port de Penaguila- Abric II is where the day begins. Next is Cova Alta- Abric I.
2. Cova Alta- Abric I
The Vall d'Ebo is one of the quietest places in the Marina Alta, a high valley of fewer than four hundred people in the mountains behind Dénia, and the Cova Alta, the High Cave, stands above it on the slopes of the surrounding ridges. Castell de Castells is the nearest village, about three kilometres off, and Benimantell and Vall d'Ebo are the neighbours. The shelter carries painted figures in the Levantine style, protected with the rest of the region's rock art by UNESCO, and it is one of a group of caves that the rides tie together around the Port de Penàguila.
Read the complete Cova Alta- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova Alta- Abric I comes up about 46 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pinós.
3. Pinós
Inland from the busy coast of the Marina Alta, behind Benissa and Calp, the land folds into a series of steep, terraced valleys where almond and olive trees cling to dry-stone walls and white farmhouses sit among the pines. Pinós is a rural area in the hills near Benissa, Senija and Jalón, and the rides link it to the rock-art shelters of the barrancs, the ravines that cut through the limestone of this region, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art. The exact contents of the nearby shelters are for specialists, but the landscape itself has a quiet, timeless beauty, especially in the soft light of late afternoon.
Read the complete Pinós 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 Pinós. Next is Coves Santes de Dalt.
4. Coves Santes de Dalt
The Montgó is the great limestone hulk that rises between Dénia and Jávea on the Costa Blanca, a mountain that looks like a sleeping elephant from some angles and dominates every view along this stretch of coast. On its flanks, in shelters and small caves, are prehistoric paintings, and the Coves Santes de Dalt, the upper holy caves, are among the sites in the area recorded as part of the UNESCO Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The paintings here are mostly schematic, simpler and more abstract than the hunting scenes found inland, and the shelters are protected, so viewing usually needs a guided visit.
Read the complete Coves Santes de Dalt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Coves Santes de Dalt, about halfway. Next is back through Pinós.
5. back through Pinós
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pinós write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pinós sits at 103 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cova Alta- Abric I.
6. back through Cova Alta- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova Alta- 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 Alta- Abric I comes up about 173 km into the recorded legs. Next is Port de Penaguila- Abric II.
7. Port de Penaguila- Abric II
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Port de Penaguila- Abric II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Port de Penaguila- Abric II closes the day.
Leg by leg
Port de Penaguila- Abric II to Cova Alta- Abric I
Port de Penaguila- Abric II → Cova Alta- Abric I is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova Alta- Abric I to Pinós
Cova Alta- Abric I → Pinós is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pinós to Coves Santes de Dalt
Pinós → Coves Santes de Dalt is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Coves Santes de Dalt to back through Pinós
Coves Santes de Dalt → back through Pinós is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pinós to back through Cova Alta- Abric I
back through Pinós → back through Cova Alta- Abric I is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova Alta- Abric I to Port de Penaguila- Abric II
back through Cova Alta- Abric I → Port de Penaguila- Abric II is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.