Why this ride
366 km from Vinaixa to Vinaixa, about 7 h 58 of riding. The stops in between: Poblet Monastery, Abric de la Serra de la mussara, Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso and Abric de Gallicant.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Albi II / Balma dels Punts and Abric de Gallicant
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 366 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 58
- 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. 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
Albi II / Balma dels Punts is where the day begins. Next is Poblet Monastery.
2. Poblet Monastery
Few places in Catalonia carry as much weight as Poblet. The Cistercian monastery was founded in the middle of the twelfth century on land granted by Count Ramon Berenguer IV, and over the following generations it became the royal pantheon of the Crown of Aragon, the place where kings chose to be buried under carved alabaster. It is still a working community of monks, which gives the vast walled complex a quietness that the coach parties never quite manage to break. UNESCO listed it in 1991, and walking through the outer gates, past the first enclosure and into the cloister, you feel the scale of medieval monastic power in a way that a textbook never conveys.
Read the complete Poblet Monastery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Poblet Monastery comes up 21 km in. Next is Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
3. 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
42 km in you reach Abric de la Serra de la mussara. Next is Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso.
4. Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Behind the Conca de Barberà, where the Catalan plain begins to lift towards the Serra de Prades, a small valley holds the monastery of Poblet, one of the largest and best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Europe. The Mas d'en Ramon d'en Besso is a farmhouse a few kilometres from Montblanc and from the village of Vimbodí, in wooded country of holm oak, pine and dry-stone terraces with the red cliffs of the Roques Guàrdies nearby.
Read the complete Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso, about halfway. Next is Abric de Gallicant.
5. Abric de Gallicant
Alforja is a village on the southern edge of the Prades mountains, where the plain of the Camp de Tarragona meets the steep slopes of the Serra de l'Argentera and the Serra de la Mussara. The Abric de Gallicant lies in the hills near Alforja, Vilaplana and Ulldemolins, and it is one of the many prehistoric shelters in these mountains that form part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The name means rooster's song, a poetic touch typical of Catalan place names. The paintings in this area are generally schematic, with simple figures and geometric shapes, and many shelters are protected by fences.
Read the complete Abric de Gallicant write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de Gallicant sits at 83 km, about halfway. Next is back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso.
6. back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso comes up 104 km in. Next is back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
7. back through 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
125 km in you reach back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara. Next is back through Poblet Monastery.
8. back through Poblet Monastery
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Poblet Monastery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Poblet Monastery, late in the day. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
9. 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
The route ends here after 366 km.
Leg by leg
Albi II / Balma dels Punts to Poblet Monastery
Albi II / Balma dels Punts → Poblet Monastery is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Poblet Monastery to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Poblet Monastery → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso to Abric de Gallicant
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso → Abric de Gallicant is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de Gallicant to back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Abric de Gallicant → back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso to back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara
back through Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso → back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara to back through Poblet Monastery
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara → back through Poblet Monastery is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Poblet Monastery to Albi II / Balma dels Punts
back through Poblet Monastery → Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.