Why this ride
176 km from Vilaplana to Vilaplana, about 2 h 59 of riding. On the way it passes The, Triumphal Arch of Berá, Roman walls and back through Triumphal Arch of Berá.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abric de la Serra de la mussara and Roman walls
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 176 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 59
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 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 is where the day begins. Next is The.
2. 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 comes up 26 km in. Next is Triumphal Arch of Berá.
3. Triumphal Arch of Berá
For centuries traffic on the main coastal road of Catalonia drove straight through a Roman triumphal arch. The Arc de Berà stands on the line of the Via Augusta, the great Roman road from the Pyrenees to Cádiz, about twenty kilometres northeast of Tarragona, and until the road was diverted around it in the late twentieth century, cars and trucks passed under its single span. It was built at the end of the first century BC, and an inscription records that it was erected according to the will of Lucius Licinius Sura, a figure whose identity historians still discuss. It is part of the UNESCO listing for the Roman remains of Tarraco.
Read the complete Triumphal Arch of Berá write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
53 km in you reach Triumphal Arch of Berá. Next is Roman walls.
4. Roman walls
The Romans did not take long to decide that Tarragona was worth fortifying. Scipio's army landed here in 218 BC during the war against Carthage, and in time the settlement of Tarraco became the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior and later of Tarraconensis, and one of the largest cities in Roman Spain. Its walls started as a Republican fortification, with huge irregular blocks at the base, the so-called cyclopean masonry, which were later heightened and rebuilt in Roman and later periods. A good stretch survives in the Passeig Arqueològic, where you can walk along the top.
Read the complete Roman walls write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roman walls, about halfway. Next is back through Triumphal Arch of Berá.
5. back through Triumphal Arch of Berá
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Triumphal Arch of Berá write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Triumphal Arch of Berá sits at 105 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 132 km in. Next is Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
7. Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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 closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to The
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → The is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The to Triumphal Arch of Berá
The → Triumphal Arch of Berá is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Triumphal Arch of Berá to Roman walls
Triumphal Arch of Berá → Roman walls is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roman walls to back through Triumphal Arch of Berá
Roman walls → back through Triumphal Arch of Berá is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Triumphal Arch of Berá to back through The
back through Triumphal Arch of Berá → back through The is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
back through The → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.