Why this ride
591 km from Ulldecona to Ulldecona, about 10 h 12 of riding. It goes by way of Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin, La fenellosa, Prop de la Cova Pintada and Valmayor V.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric d'Ermites IX and Valmayor V
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 591 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 h 12
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Abric d'Ermites IX
At the southern edge of Catalonia, the mountains known as the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit rise from the plain like a wall, and they are among the wildest in the region. Rocky ridges, deep gorges and thick pine forest cover them, and they are the home of the Spanish ibex, a wild goat with long curved horns, which was nearly wiped out in the twentieth century and has made a comeback here. A lucky rider may see one on a crag. The shelter at Abric d'Ermites IX is on the lower slopes of the nearby Serra de Godall, about four and a half kilometres from Ulldecona, and carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. The ride links it with Valmayor V.
Read the complete Abric d'Ermites IX write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric d'Ermites IX is where the day begins. Next is Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin.
2. Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the emptiest corners of the Valencian Community, a group of tiny stone villages scattered across rugged limestone mountains in the far north of Castellón, right where Valencia, Catalonia and Aragón meet. The Cova dels Rossegadors, also called the Cova del Polvorí, lies on the edge of this country near Rossell, with Mas de Barberans and Canet lo Roig the other nearby villages.
Read the complete Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin comes up about 97 km into the recorded legs. Next is La fenellosa.
3. La fenellosa
People in Aragón like to call the Matarraña their Tuscany, and for once the comparison is not entirely marketing. It is a comarca of honey-coloured stone villages on hilltops, olive groves on terraces, almond trees and vineyards, with the limestone wall of the Ports de Beseit rising behind. La Fenellosa lies in this country, between Valderrobres, Fuentespalda and Mas de Barberans across the Catalan line, in the rough hills where the farmland gives way to the mountains.
Read the complete La fenellosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 160 km into the recorded legs you reach La fenellosa. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
4. Prop de la Cova Pintada
The Ports massif rises abruptly at the meeting point of Catalonia, Aragón and Valencia, a tangle of limestone peaks, deep gorges and pine forest that feels surprisingly wild given how close it is to the Ebro delta and the coast. Prop de la Cova Pintada, meaning near the painted cave, sits on its southern side, between Mas de Barberans, Valderrobres and the old city of Tortosa.
Read the complete Prop de la Cova Pintada write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Prop de la Cova Pintada, about halfway. Next is Valmayor V.
5. Valmayor V
The Matarraña, in the far east of Teruel province, is often called the Tuscany of Aragon, and for once the comparison holds. Stone villages crown hilltops above olive groves and vineyards, rivers run clear through limestone gorges, and the light in the evening is honey-coloured. Valmayor is a ravine in the hills here, between Valderrobres, Fuentespalda and the Catalan border, and its shelters hold prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. As elsewhere, they are protected, and visits are best arranged through local tourist offices.
Read the complete Valmayor V write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Valmayor V sits at 296 km, about halfway. Next is back through Prop de la Cova Pintada.
6. back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Prop de la Cova Pintada write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada comes up about 365 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through La fenellosa.
7. back through La fenellosa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La fenellosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 424 km into the recorded legs you reach back through La fenellosa. Next is back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin.
8. back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin, late in the day. Next is Abric d'Ermites IX.
9. Abric d'Ermites IX
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric d'Ermites IX 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 591 km.
Leg by leg
Abric d'Ermites IX to Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
Abric d'Ermites IX → Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is 97 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin to La fenellosa
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin → La fenellosa is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La fenellosa to Prop de la Cova Pintada
La fenellosa → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Valmayor V
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Valmayor V is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Valmayor V to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Valmayor V → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through La fenellosa
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through La fenellosa is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La fenellosa to back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
back through La fenellosa → back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin to Abric d'Ermites IX
back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin → Abric d'Ermites IX is 97 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.