Why this ride
A 270 km round trip from Tivissa - roughly 4 h 32 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abric de les Llibreres, Calçaes del matá and back through Abric de les Llibreres. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Balma d'En Roc and Calçaes del matá
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 270 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 32
- 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 Abric de les Llibreres.
2. Abric de les Llibreres
The Montsià range rises abruptly from the coastal plain at the southern tip of Catalonia, a long, rocky ridge of limestone that separates the Ebro delta from the inland valleys. Around its foot lie the villages of Santa Bàrbara, Masdenverge and Ulldecona, surrounded by olive groves, some of them with ancient trees hundreds of years old, their trunks twisted into extraordinary shapes. The Abric de les Llibreres is one of the prehistoric rock shelters in this area, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Abric de les Llibreres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de les Llibreres comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Calçaes del matá.
3. Calçaes del matá
Ares del Maestrat sits on a crag so steep that the village seems glued to the rock, and below it, in the Gasulla gorge, the Cingle de la Mola Remigia holds some of the most famous Levantine paintings in Spain, scenes of archers, hunters and even an execution. Calçaes del Matà is a shelter in the same broad landscape near Albocàsser, and with the Gasulla and Valltorta sites it belongs to the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin. The shelters here are reached on foot, and guided visits can be booked through the local museums.
Read the complete Calçaes del matá write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 135 km into the recorded legs you reach Calçaes del matá. Next is back through Abric de les Llibreres.
4. back through Abric de les Llibreres
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de les Llibreres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de les Llibreres, 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 Abric de les Llibreres
Balma d'En Roc → Abric de les Llibreres is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Llibreres to Calçaes del matá
Abric de les Llibreres → Calçaes del matá is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Calçaes del matá to back through Abric de les Llibreres
Calçaes del matá → back through Abric de les Llibreres is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de les Llibreres to Balma d'En Roc
back through Abric de les Llibreres → Balma d'En Roc is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.