Why this ride
A 236 km round trip from Villajoyosa - roughly 4 h 36 in the saddle. The stops in between: Barranc de frainos- Abric I, Barranc de la Penya Blanca, Benirrama- Abric I and Sierra de Alfaro.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tabla de Pochico and Sierra de Alfaro
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 236 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 36
- 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 Benirrama- Abric I.
4. Benirrama- Abric I
In the Vall de Gallinera, a long, narrow valley in the mountains of northern Alicante, the Benirrama shelter is one of a cluster of rock art sites, part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin World Heritage listing. The valley is particularly rich in macro-schematic art, a distinctive style found only in this region, with large, abstract human figures and symbols painted in red, and the nearby Pla de Petracos is the most famous site of this style. Benirrama itself is also the name of a ruined Moorish castle on a hill above the valley.
Read the complete Benirrama- Abric I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Benirrama- Abric I, about halfway. Next is Sierra de Alfaro.
5. Sierra de Alfaro
The Sierra de Alfaro is a long limestone ridge in the mountains of northern Alicante, between Castell de Castells, Benimantell and Planes, a rugged, empty landscape of rock, scrub and pine, with terraced valleys and small villages tucked into its folds. Its slopes hold several shelters with prehistoric paintings, and the area is part of one of the richest regions for rock art in Spain, with Levantine, schematic and the unique macroschematic styles found nowhere else. The ridge is also crossed by walking trails, and the views from the top over the mountains and the sea are wide.
Read the complete Sierra de Alfaro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sierra de Alfaro sits at 78 km, about halfway. Next is back through Benirrama- Abric I.
6. back through Benirrama- Abric I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Benirrama- 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 Benirrama- Abric I comes up about 144 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca.
7. back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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 167 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca. Next is back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 236 km.
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 Benirrama- Abric I
Barranc de la Penya Blanca → Benirrama- Abric I is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Benirrama- Abric I to Sierra de Alfaro
Benirrama- Abric I → Sierra de Alfaro is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sierra de Alfaro to back through Benirrama- Abric I
Sierra de Alfaro → back through Benirrama- Abric I is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Benirrama- Abric I to back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca
back through Benirrama- Abric I → back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Barranc de la Penya Blanca to back through Barranc de frainos- Abric I
back through 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.