Why this ride
From Villajoyosa it runs 135 km to Villajoyosa; allow about 2 h 29 of riding. It goes by way of Barranc de frainos- Abric I, Barranc de la Penya Blanca and back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tabla de Pochico and Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 135 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 29
- 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. Tabla de Pochico
Villajoyosa, the Vila, is one of those towns that makes a bad first impression only on the way in. The approach is lined with apartment blocks, but the old seafront is a long row of houses painted in bright colours, ochre, pink, blue and green, said to have helped fishermen find their own door from the sea. Behind the harbour the church stands fortress-like, built with walls designed to withstand pirate raids, and the whole place smells faintly of the sea and, oddly, of chocolate, because the town is home to one of Spain's best known chocolate makers, founded in the nineteenth century. The Tabla de Pochico lies in the hills a few kilometres inland, in the scrubby, rocky land that rises behind the coast.
Read the complete Tabla de Pochico write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tabla de Pochico is where the day begins. Next is Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
2. Barranc de frainos- Abric I
The mountains behind Benidorm are a world away from the high-rise hotels and the beaches. Inland from the Costa Blanca, the land rises quickly into a jumble of limestone ridges, the highest of which, the Serra d'Aitana, reaches over fifteen hundred metres, the roof of the province of Alicante. Between Sella, Benilloba and Relleu, deep in this rugged country, the Barranc de Frainos holds a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO listing of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The sites here are small and fragile, and access is usually limited to guided visits, but the landscape is worth the journey.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Barranc de frainos- Abric I comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Barranc de la Penya Blanca.
3. Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Planes is a small village in the hills of the Comtat in northern Alicante province, crowned by a castle and looking out over a valley of olive and cherry orchards. The Barranc de la Penya Blanca, the ravine of the white rock, lies close by, among the folded limestone ridges between Planes, Benimarfull and the reservoir at Beniarrés.
Read the complete Barranc de la Penya Blanca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 67 km into the recorded legs you reach Barranc de la Penya Blanca. Next is back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
4. back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Barranc de frainos- 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 Barranc de frainos- Abric I, late in the day. Next is Tabla de Pochico.
5. Tabla de Pochico
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tabla de Pochico write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Tabla de Pochico. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Tabla de Pochico to Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Tabla de Pochico → Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Barranc de la Penya Blanca is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Barranc de la Penya Blanca to back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
Barranc de la Penya Blanca → back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I to Tabla de Pochico
back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I → Tabla de Pochico is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.