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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
383 km from Ulldecona to Ulldecona, about 9 h 16 of riding. On the way it passes Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin, Prop de la Cova Pintada, Roca dels moros and back through Prop de la Cova Pintada. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Abric d'Esquarterades I
In the dry hills behind Ulldecona, near the southern tip of Catalonia, small figures painted in red ochre run, hunt and gather across the walls of shallow rock shelters. These are the paintings of Levantine rock art, made by prehistoric people some seven to eight thousand years ago, and the shelters of the Serra de Godall, including the Abric d'Esquarterades, are among the best examples. They are part of the World Heritage site that covers rock art in the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric d'Esquarterades I 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
3. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 103 km into the recorded legs you reach Prop de la Cova Pintada. Next is Roca dels moros.
4. Roca dels moros
In 1903, a young man from Calaceite named Juan Cabré, who would go on to become one of Spain's pioneering archaeologists, found painted figures of deer and other animals in a rock shelter in the Calapatá ravine, between Calaceite and Cretas. The Roca dels Moros became one of the first sites of Levantine rock art identified in Spain, and it helped open up a whole new field of study. Today it is part of the UNESCO listing of rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and a visit here is a small pilgrimage to the beginnings of that story.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric d'Esquarterades I closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric d'Esquarterades I to Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
Abric d'Esquarterades I → Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin to Prop de la Cova Pintada
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Roca dels moros
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Roca dels moros is 92 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca dels moros to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Roca dels moros → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is 72 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'Esquarterades I
back through Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin → Abric d'Esquarterades I is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.