The route links La Carolina, in Jaén, with Almuradiel, already in the province of Ciudad Real, via Santa Elena. Almost all of it runs on the A-4 motorway, about 24 of its 34 km, through the Despeñaperros pass, the historic gateway between Andalucía and La Mancha. This is not a twisty road: it is a short, quick crossing of the Sierra Morena by motorway, for riders passing through who want to see the gorge.
The appeal is the scenery. Between Santa Elena and the border with Castilla-La Mancha, the motorway passes through the Despeñaperros Natural Park, a gorge of rock walls and slopes of Mediterranean scrub that for centuries was the main route south across the Sierra Morena. The municipalities crossed are La Carolina, Santa Elena and Almuradiel. Being a motorway, the road is wide and the pace is set by traffic, which includes many lorries.
It is about 34 km and the estimated time is around 35 minutes without stops. Altitude ranges from around 570 m to around 820 m. As this is a motorway with heavy goods traffic, keep a safe following distance, watch for crosswinds on exposed sections and do not stop on the hard shoulder to take photos: leave the motorway at Santa Elena instead.