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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Cova de l'Escoda and Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
336 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 20
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.

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Why this ride

A 336 km round trip from Tivissa - roughly 6 h 20 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abric de Gallicant, Albi II / Balma dels Punts, Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés and back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts. The line favours views over speed.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Cova de l'Escoda

    The Mediterranean Basin rock art does not end at the Valencian border, and the Cova de l'Escoda is a reminder that the painted shelters stretch up into Catalonia. This one lies in the hills inland from the Costa Daurada, in the dry, rugged country of the Baix Camp and the Ribera d'Ebre, with the Serra de Llaberia to the north and the Ebro valley to the south-west. The shelter belongs to the group listed by UNESCO in 1998, and its paintings are in the Levantine style. The nearest places on the map are El Perelló and Ginestar, though the largest town in the area is Mont-roig del Camp, some sixteen kilometres away.

    Read the complete Cova de l'Escoda write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Cova de l'Escoda is where the day begins. Next is Abric de Gallicant.

  2. 2. 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 comes up about 72 km into the recorded legs. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.

  3. 3. 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

    about 120 km into the recorded legs you reach Albi II / Balma dels Punts. Next is Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.

  4. 4. Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés

    South of Lleida the irrigated orchards give way abruptly to dry, open steppe, and the little village of Alfés sits on the edge of that change. The Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés are rock paintings in a small sandstone shelter near the village, schematic designs in red pigment, mostly abstract lines, dots and simplified figures, that belong to the later, more symbolic phase of prehistoric art in eastern Spain, and they are included in the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean Basin rock art. They are modest to look at, but there is something powerful about seeing marks left by people thousands of years ago in such an open, wind-swept place.

    Read the complete Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés, about halfway. Next is back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts.

  5. 5. back through 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

    back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts sits at 137 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric de Gallicant.

  6. 6. back through Abric de Gallicant

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    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

    back through Abric de Gallicant comes up about 262 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova de l'Escoda.

  7. 7. Cova de l'Escoda

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Cova de l'Escoda write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Cova de l'Escoda closes the day.

Leg by leg

Cova de l'Escoda to Abric de Gallicant

Cova de l'Escoda → Abric de Gallicant is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Abric de Gallicant to Albi II / Balma dels Punts

Abric de Gallicant → Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Albi II / Balma dels Punts to Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés

Albi II / Balma dels Punts → Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts

Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts to back through Abric de Gallicant

back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts → back through Abric de Gallicant is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Abric de Gallicant to Cova de l'Escoda

back through Abric de Gallicant → Cova de l'Escoda is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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