Why this ride
311 km from Montblanc to Montblanc, about 5 h 11 of riding. It goes by way of Cova del Cingle, Abric d'Esquarterades II and back through Cova del Cingle.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Britus Il and Abric d'Esquarterades II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 311 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 11
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Cova del Cingle.
2. Cova del Cingle
The Ebro still has rope ferries. At Miravet, a flat boat attached to a cable across the river carries cars, bikes and walkers from bank to bank, driven only by the current and the skill of the ferryman, as such ferries have done for centuries. Above the village, on a rocky hill, stands one of the great Templar castles of Catalonia, a stern stone fortress that controlled the river. Nearby, among the hills of the Ribera d'Ebre near Ginestar and Rasquera, the Cova del Cingle is a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, part of the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Cova del Cingle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del Cingle comes up about 79 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric d'Esquarterades II.
3. Abric d'Esquarterades II
Ulldecona stands where the foothills of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit slope toward the plain of the Ebro, in the south of Catalonia, and it is a town of about six thousand people with olive groves in every direction. The Serra de Godall rises behind, and under its cliffs, the shelters known as the Abrics de l'Ermita, near the hermitage of La Pietat, hold prehistoric paintings, with a small visitor centre that makes it one of the easier places to see this art. Esquarterades is another shelter in the same tradition, part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin listed by UNESCO in 1998.
Read the complete Abric d'Esquarterades II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 154 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric d'Esquarterades II. Next is back through Cova del Cingle.
4. back through Cova del Cingle
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del Cingle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova del Cingle, late in the day. Next is Britus Il.
5. 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 at Britus Il. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Britus Il to Cova del Cingle
Britus Il → Cova del Cingle is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova del Cingle to Abric d'Esquarterades II
Cova del Cingle → Abric d'Esquarterades II is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric d'Esquarterades II to back through Cova del Cingle
Abric d'Esquarterades II → back through Cova del Cingle is 77 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova del Cingle to Britus Il
back through Cova del Cingle → Britus Il is 80 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.