Gravel through the Valle de Ricote from Cieza

An out-and-back loop through the Valle de Ricote, the stretch of the Segura between Cieza and Villanueva del Río Segura. You leave Cieza heading south on orchard lanes and tracks among fruit trees and lemon groves, through Abarán, Blanca, Ricote, Ojós and Ulea, with waterwheels, irrigation channels and the sierra on either side, and come back along the other bank and the valley's upper tracks. Mixed surface: dirt tracks and orchard lanes, with stretches of tarmac in and out of the villages and the odd short, steep ramp. Water and bars in every village in the valley; Cieza has a train station and parking. Winter and spring are the best times, with Cieza's fruit trees in blossom at the end of February; in summer set off very early. Respect the irrigation paths and the farmland.

Track based on an in-house design on OpenStreetMap (ODbL).