Valley of the Blocks!

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Uleila del Campo, Andalucía, ES

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Route Overview

bici-almeria.com

cycle trips in south eastern spain

51 mi.

6,496 ft.

A hilly ride with three peaks over 1000m. Some of the most breathtaking scenery and exhilarating descents in the area. The photo in front of car-sized marble blocks will make it worth all the effort!

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Route Details

Starting in the village of Uleila del Campo right at the base of the Sierra Filabres mountain range this is a real day in the mountains. Best place to park in Uleila is in the @point[town square](d,14.62) itself (unless there is a market on!)

From Uleila we head south along the A1100 for a few kms to warm the legs up before we start the serious business of the day - climbing! Turn right onto the ALP731 (Almeria provincial roads are all rather ominously prefixed ALP!) and head towards the first climb of the day @slice[up to Benizalon](d,7210.88,12158.74). This climb, like so many in Almeria, has recently been re-surfaced and is super smooth as it winds it way 5km up to our first of three peaks over 1000m in the ride. @photo[Alto de Benizalon](1124910) There is a nice coffee stop at Benizalon in a imposing building on the right as you plunge down into the village. We then head on across the top of the Filabres through the pretty villages of Benitaglia and Alcudia de Monteagud.

The next section of the ride is the loop that gives the ride it's name Valley of the Blocks. Beginning with a gentle drop down to the entrance to the massive marble quarry outside Cobdar. A better @photo[group photo opportunity](1124939) might never come along. Almeria provides over half the marble used in flooring and kitchens all over the world. The size of these blocks is quite amazing! We have even had to divert once or twice when they are @photo['exploding'](1124970) the rock face! After the obligatory photo stop there is a blisteringly fast descent into the village of Cobdar where the famous bici-almeria 'hole in the wall' bar is. On this ride there is no time to stop here as we continue the ride down to @point[Albanchez](d,39433.53) where the @photo[roadside bar](1124936) serves excellent and remarkably cheap *bocadillos de lomo y queso* - hot pork & cheese rolls.

From here we begin the steady ride from the valley bottom back up to over 1000m again - along the beautiful @slice[Lijar gorge](d,45544,52202.14)before retracing our route back down past the 'blocks' and back to Cobdar.

This time, rather than descending to Albanchez we begin the @slice[11km climb of Puerto de la Virgen](d,61676.15,71942.32) from the north side. This is one of the bici-almeria guests favourite climbs as, despite being long and always the last climb of a ride, it is a gradient that allows you to really enjoy the climb through the lush northern side of the Filabres. It is a stark contrast to the barren, desert like scenery that dominates the southern aspect on the way down @photo[over the top](1125032).

The descent is fast and quite technical at the top but once round the first few bends it opens up and it is possible to see so far down the mountain to know if any vehicles are on their way up, it is unsual to meet more than 1 or 2 in the 10km downhill. And then it is all over as we reach our start and finish point back in @photo[Uleila.](1124929)

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Valley of the Blocks!

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Route Details

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