Why this ride
A 405 km round trip from Torredembarra - roughly 7 h 23 in the saddle. On the way it passes Britus Il, Paleochristian cemetery, Britus I and La Vall de la Coma. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abrics de l'Apotecari and La Vall de la Coma
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 405 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 23
- 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. Abrics de l'Apotecari
The coast south of Barcelona has been a corridor since the Romans, and the Via Augusta, the main road from Rome to Hispania, ran along it. At Roda de Berà, a few kilometres down the coast, a freestanding triumphal arch from that road still stands, the Arc de Berà, and the Roman city of Tarraco, now Tarragona, is a short ride away with its amphitheatre above the sea, its circus and walls, all listed by UNESCO. So the hills behind Torredembarra and Altafulla sit in a landscape that already carries a lot of history, even before you get to the much older layers of paint on the rocks.
Read the complete Abrics de l'Apotecari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrics de l'Apotecari is where the day begins. Next is Britus Il.
2. Britus Il
What matters is the country around it, which is some of the finest in inland Catalonia. You are in the Conca de Barberà, the basin of the Francolí river, a few kilometres from the walled town of Montblanc and the village of Alcover, with the wooded wall of the Serra de Prades rising to the west. The area is dotted with prehistoric rock shelters, part of the great arc of Mediterranean rock art that runs down eastern Spain, and many of the site names along these rides are exactly that: a ledge of sandstone or limestone where hunters painted deer and archers thousands of years ago.
Read the complete Britus Il write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Britus Il comes up about 46 km into the recorded legs. Next is Paleochristian cemetery.
3. Paleochristian cemetery
When the Roman city of Tarraco converted to Christianity, its people began burying their dead beside the Francolí river, west of the town, and the necropolis that grew up there over the fourth and fifth centuries is now one of the most important early Christian burial sites in the western Mediterranean. Hundreds of tombs were found, from simple graves to carved marble sarcophagi, along with remains of a basilica. Tradition links the site with Saint Fructuosus, the bishop of Tarraco burned in the amphitheatre in the year 259 along with two deacons.
Read the complete Paleochristian cemetery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 94 km into the recorded legs you reach Paleochristian cemetery. Next is Britus I.
4. Britus I
Between Montblanc and Vimbodí, in the Conca de Barberà, the land rises toward the Prades mountains and the Serra de la Llena, and in the sandstone and limestone outcrops of these hills, prehistoric hunters left paintings in rock shelters. Britus I is one of these sites, with figures painted in the distinctive style of Levantine rock art, which shows scenes of hunting, gathering and daily life with lively human and animal figures. The rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula was inscribed by UNESCO in 1998, covering hundreds of sites from Catalonia to Andalusia. Many are small and fragile, and access is often restricted to protect them.
Read the complete Britus I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Britus I, about halfway. Next is La Vall de la Coma.
5. La Vall de la Coma
The Garrigues is the dry heart of Lleida province, a land of terraced hills, stone walls and endless olive groves, and La Vall de la Coma is one of its quiet valleys, in the municipality of L'Albi. In a few rock shelters here, prehistoric people painted small figures in red, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean basin that is recognized as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are fragile and modest in size, and access is usually organized through local guides or interpretation centres, so plan ahead rather than expecting to wander in.
Read the complete La Vall de la Coma write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Vall de la Coma sits at 141 km, about halfway. Next is back through Britus I.
6. back through Britus I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Britus I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Britus I comes up about 264 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Paleochristian cemetery.
7. back through Paleochristian cemetery
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Paleochristian cemetery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 310 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Paleochristian cemetery. Next is back through Britus Il.
8. back through Britus Il
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Britus Il write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Britus Il, late in the day. Next is Abrics de l'Apotecari.
9. Abrics de l'Apotecari
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrics de l'Apotecari 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 405 km.
Leg by leg
Abrics de l'Apotecari to Britus Il
Abrics de l'Apotecari → Britus Il is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus Il to Paleochristian cemetery
Britus Il → Paleochristian cemetery is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Paleochristian cemetery to Britus I
Paleochristian cemetery → Britus I is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus I to La Vall de la Coma
Britus I → La Vall de la Coma is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Vall de la Coma to back through Britus I
La Vall de la Coma → back through Britus I is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus I to back through Paleochristian cemetery
back through Britus I → back through Paleochristian cemetery is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Paleochristian cemetery to back through Britus Il
back through Paleochristian cemetery → back through Britus Il is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus Il to Abrics de l'Apotecari
back through Britus Il → Abrics de l'Apotecari is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Médol Quary and La Vall de la Coma · 406 km
- The and La Vall de la Coma · 413 km
- Britus I and Aqueduct · 253 km
- Britus Il and Aqueduct · 250 km