Why this ride
From Tivissa it runs 177 km to Tivissa; allow about 3 h 05 of riding. It goes by way of Cova de les Calobres, Abric de masets and back through Cova de les Calobres. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Balma d'En Roc and Abric de masets
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 177 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 05
- 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. Balma d'En Roc
Inland from the Costa Daurada, the Serra de Llaberia rises abruptly above the coastal plain, a jagged wall of limestone separating the sea from the valley of the Ebro. The rock shelter of Balma d'En Roc lies in this rough country, part of the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO, and like most of its kind it is small, fragile and best visited with local guidance. The nearest villages are scattered: Ginestar on the Ebro, El Perelló on the coastal side, and Mont-roig del Camp to the north-east.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Balma d'En Roc is where the day begins. Next is Cova de les Calobres.
2. Cova de les Calobres
The Ebro is near its end here. South of Tortosa the river spreads into a flat delta of rice fields, lagoons and sand spits, and the coast of the Baix Ebre curves out into the sea. The Cova de les Calobres, the Cave of the Snakes, is a shelter inland from El Perelló, in the dry limestone hills of the Serra de Cardó. The rock paintings of this area belong to the Mediterranean-arc group that UNESCO listed in 1998, and the nearby shelters have given their names to the ride titles.
Read the complete Cova de les Calobres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova de les Calobres comes up about 44 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de masets.
3. Abric de masets
The Montsià range rises like a wall behind the Ebro delta in southern Catalonia, a ridge of grey limestone with steep slopes and rocky crags, and in a shelter on its flanks, near Santa Bàrbara and Masdenverge, the Abric de Masets holds traces of prehistoric paintings. It is part of the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The paintings here are faded and fragmentary, but the site is a reminder that people have lived and hunted in this landscape for thousands of years.
Read the complete Abric de masets write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 86 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de masets. Next is back through Cova de les Calobres.
4. back through Cova de les Calobres
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de les Calobres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova de les Calobres, late in the day. Next is Balma d'En Roc.
5. Balma d'En Roc
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Balma d'En Roc. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Balma d'En Roc to Cova de les Calobres
Balma d'En Roc → Cova de les Calobres is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de les Calobres to Abric de masets
Cova de les Calobres → Abric de masets is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de masets to back through Cova de les Calobres
Abric de masets → back through Cova de les Calobres is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova de les Calobres to Balma d'En Roc
back through Cova de les Calobres → Balma d'En Roc is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.