Racó del Pou and Olula

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Racó del Pou

   The Safor is the fertile coastal strip around Gandia, and behind it rise abrupt limestone hills, the Serra de la Safor and its neighbours, where the orange groves give way to pine, scrub and terraces of olives and almonds. Racó del Pou, a sheltered corner in these hills between Villalonga and the Vall d'Ebo, is one of the many rock shelters of the region that hold prehistoric paintings, part of the Mediterranean rock art group listed by UNESCO. Like most of them, it is modest and protected, but the walk up and the view over the hills to the sea are reason enough to come.

   Read the complete Racó del Pou write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Racó del Pou is where the day begins. Next is Cueva de los Arcos.

2. 2. Cueva de los Arcos

   Behind the Costa Blanca, only a few kilometres from the busy beaches of El Campello and the high-rises of Benidorm, the land climbs steeply into limestone mountains that feel surprisingly wild. The Cabeçó d'Or, a jagged massif above the village of Busot, dominates the area, and its slopes are riddled with caves and shelters. The Cueva de los Arcos is one of the sites in this area included in the World Heritage inscription of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, with faint painted motifs on the rock. Nearby, the Cuevas del Canelobre, a huge cave with towering stalactites, is open for visits and is one of the most impressive show caves in the region.

   Read the complete Cueva de los Arcos write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Cueva de los Arcos comes up 83 km in. Next is Olula.

3. 3. Olula

   Caudete and Almansa sit in a corridor of land where Castile-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia meet, and for centuries this was frontier country, where kingdoms and armies passed and fought. Olula is a point in the hills near Caudete, linked on the rides with rock-art shelters in the surrounding sierras, part of the extensive UNESCO listing of prehistoric art in Mediterranean Spain.

   Read the complete Olula write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   166 km in you reach Olula. Next is back through Cueva de los Arcos.

4. 4. Back to Racó del Pou

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Racó del Pou write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Cueva de los Arcos, late in the day. Next is Racó del Pou.

5. 5. Racó del Pou

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Racó del Pou write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Racó del Pou. That is the ride.