Why this ride
From El Perelló it runs 173 km to El Perelló; allow about 3 h 40 of riding. The stops in between: Cova del Ramat, Abric de Gallicant and back through Cova del Ramat. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova de les Calobres and Abric de Gallicant
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 173 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 40
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Cova del Ramat.
2. Cova del Ramat
The Ebro makes a great loop through southern Catalonia, and the Cova del Ramat lies in the dry hills just west of it, above the villages of Ginestar and Rasquera. The river here is broad and slow, lined with orchards and reed beds, and in 1938 it became the site of the Battle of the Ebro, the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War, which raged for nearly four months in the summer and autumn and left the hills riddled with trenches. Their traces survive in the landscape, and several memorial sites and museums, notably around Gandesa, tell the story.
Read the complete Cova del Ramat write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del Ramat comes up about 25 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de Gallicant.
3. 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
about 86 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de Gallicant. Next is back through Cova del Ramat.
4. back through Cova del Ramat
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del Ramat 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 Ramat, late in the day. Next is Cova de les Calobres.
5. 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 at Cova de les Calobres. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cova de les Calobres to Cova del Ramat
Cova de les Calobres → Cova del Ramat is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova del Ramat to Abric de Gallicant
Cova del Ramat → Abric de Gallicant is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de Gallicant to back through Cova del Ramat
Abric de Gallicant → back through Cova del Ramat is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova del Ramat to Cova de les Calobres
back through Cova del Ramat → Cova de les Calobres is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.