Why this ride
295 km from Torredembarra to Torredembarra, about 5 h 03 of riding. It goes by way of Britus Il, Albi II / Balma dels Punts, Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés and back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abrics de l'Apotecari and Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 295 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 03
- 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 56 km into the recorded legs. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
3. Albi II / Balma dels Punts
L'Albi is a small village on a hill in Les Garrigues, the dry, olive-covered district southeast of Lleida, and its name appears in the archaeological record thanks to rock shelters in the area, including the Balma dels Punts, the shelter of the dots. The name suggests schematic paintings in the form of dots and lines, typical of the later phase of prehistoric art in the region, and the site is part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The shelters are small and fragile, and some can only be visited with a guide, so check with the town hall or a local interpretation centre before heading out.
Read the complete Albi II / Balma dels Punts write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 100 km into the recorded legs you reach Albi II / Balma dels Punts. Next is Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.
4. Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
South of Lleida the irrigated orchards give way abruptly to dry, open steppe, and the little village of Alfés sits on the edge of that change. The Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés are rock paintings in a small sandstone shelter near the village, schematic designs in red pigment, mostly abstract lines, dots and simplified figures, that belong to the later, more symbolic phase of prehistoric art in eastern Spain, and they are included in the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean Basin rock art. They are modest to look at, but there is something powerful about seeing marks left by people thousands of years ago in such an open, wind-swept place.
Read the complete Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés, about halfway. Next is back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
5. back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Albi II / Balma dels Punts write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts sits at 127 km, about halfway. Next is back through Britus Il.
6. 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 comes up about 240 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abrics de l'Apotecari.
7. 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
Abrics de l'Apotecari closes the day.
Leg by leg
Abrics de l'Apotecari to Britus Il
Abrics de l'Apotecari → Britus Il is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus Il to Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Britus Il → Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Albi II / Balma dels Punts to Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Albi II / Balma dels Punts → Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts to back through Britus Il
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts → back through Britus Il is 63 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.