Why this ride
From Constantí it runs 310 km to Constantí; allow about 4 h 17 of riding. It goes by way of La Vall de la Coma, Vallbufandes I and back through La Vall de la Coma. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Aqueduct and Vallbufandes I
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 310 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 17
- 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. Aqueduct
The Pont del Diable, the Devil's Bridge, is not a bridge for people. It is a Roman aqueduct, a tall, two-tiered stone arcade that carried water to Tarraco, modern Tarragona, from the Francolí river, about fifteen kilometres away. It spans a small valley near the road to Constantí, two hundred metres long and about twenty-seven metres high at its tallest point, built of big dressed stones without mortar, and it has stood for roughly two thousand years. UNESCO included it in the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco in 2000.
Read the complete Aqueduct write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Aqueduct is where the day begins. Next is La Vall de la Coma.
2. 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 comes up about 65 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vallbufandes I.
3. Vallbufandes I
Mequinenza sits where three rivers meet. The Segre and the Cinca flow into the Ebro here, and the town has lived by them for centuries, first as a river port and a fortress with a Gothic castle, then as a coal-mining town, with lignite dug from the hills and shipped by barge. In the 1960s, the Ebro was dammed downstream and a huge reservoir, now known as the Mar de Aragón, flooded the valley and swallowed much of the old town. Its people moved to a new town above the water, and the old streets lie under it. It is a poignant story, and locals have not forgotten it.
Read the complete Vallbufandes I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 144 km into the recorded legs you reach Vallbufandes I. Next is back through La Vall de la Coma.
4. back through La Vall de la Coma
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through La Vall de la Coma, late in the day. Next is Aqueduct.
5. Aqueduct
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Aqueduct write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Aqueduct. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Aqueduct to La Vall de la Coma
Aqueduct → La Vall de la Coma is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Vall de la Coma to Vallbufandes I
La Vall de la Coma → Vallbufandes I is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vallbufandes I to back through La Vall de la Coma
Vallbufandes I → back through La Vall de la Coma is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Vall de la Coma to Aqueduct
back through La Vall de la Coma → Aqueduct is 93 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.