Why this ride
From Vilafranca del Penedès it runs 240 km to Vilafranca del Penedès; allow about 4 h 35 of riding. The stops in between: Cova de Vallmajor, The, Abric de la Serra de la mussara and back through The.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric de Can Castellví and Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 240 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 35
- 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: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Abric de Can Castellví
The Penedès is wine country, and the landscape around Vilafranca del Penedès is a patchwork of vineyards rolling away toward the Montserrat massif in the north and the limestone hills of the Garraf in the south. Abric de Can Castellví is a small rock shelter in this landscape, one of the many sites of Levantine and schematic rock art scattered across Catalonia and included in the UNESCO serial site of the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like many such sites, it is modest in appearance, a hollow in the rock where faint painted figures have survived thousands of years, and access is often limited to protect the art.
Read the complete Abric de Can Castellvi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de Can Castellví is where the day begins. Next is Cova de Vallmajor.
2. Cova de Vallmajor
Inland from the Costa Daurada, behind the beach towns of El Vendrell and Calafell, the land rises into the low hills of the Baix Penedès, a landscape of vineyards, almond and olive groves, pine woods and small villages. The Cova de Vallmajor, near Albinyana and Bonastre, is a rock shelter in these hills with prehistoric paintings, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean that is recognised as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are faint and the shelter is protected, so visits are usually by arrangement.
Read the complete Cova de Vallmajor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova de Vallmajor comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is The.
3. The
Just inland from the beach at Altafulla, on the Costa Daurada north of Tarragona, the remains of a grand Roman villa look out over the Mediterranean. This is the Villa dels Munts, one of the finest Roman country houses in Catalonia, built in the first and second centuries AD, with baths, gardens, mosaics and painted walls. It is thought to have belonged to an important citizen of Tarraco, the Roman capital of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis, and it is part of the World Heritage inscription of the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, inscribed in 2000. The villa's setting, on a gentle slope above the sea, makes it easy to see why a wealthy Roman would choose it for a retreat.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 63 km into the recorded legs you reach The. Next is The.
4. The
Inside a plain-looking farmhouse building is a domed hall from the fourth century, its cupola covered in mosaics of hunting scenes, biblical stories and figures that may represent the imperial family. Some scholars believe it was built as a mausoleum for Constans, son of Constantine the Great, who was killed in 350; others are not so sure, and the debate is part of the fun. The site belongs to the UNESCO listing for the Roman town of Tarraco.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The, about halfway. Next is Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
5. Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Climb out of Reus on a clear morning and the Serra de la Mussara rises ahead like a wall, a limestone escarpment that holds up the edge of the Prades plateau and drops steeply to the plain of the Camp de Tarragona. The rock shelters along this cliff line, close to the village of Vilaplana, are part of the prehistoric painted landscape of eastern Spain. The best reason to stop, though, is the view: on a good day you look straight down over hazelnut orchards and olive groves to Reus, Tarragona and the sea.
Read the complete Abric de la Serra de la mussara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Serra de la mussara sits at 90 km, about halfway. Next is back through The.
6. back through The
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The comes up about 160 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through The.
7. back through The
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 176 km into the recorded legs you reach back through The. Next is back through Cova de Vallmajor.
8. back through Cova de Vallmajor
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de Vallmajor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova de Vallmajor, late in the day. Next is Abric de Can Castellvi.
9. Abric de Can Castellví
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de Can Castellvi 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 240 km.
Leg by leg
Abric de Can Castellví to Cova de Vallmajor
Abric de Can Castellví → Cova de Vallmajor is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de Vallmajor to The
Cova de Vallmajor → The is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The to The
The → The is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
The → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to back through The
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → back through The is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The to back through The
back through The → back through The is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The to back through Cova de Vallmajor
back through The → back through Cova de Vallmajor is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova de Vallmajor to Abric de Can Castellvi
back through Cova de Vallmajor → Abric de Can Castellvi is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.