Why this ride
344 km from El Perelló to El Perelló, about 7 h 32 of riding. On the way it passes Abric de masets, Prop de la Cova Pintada, Roca dels moros and back through Prop de la Cova Pintada.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova de les Calobres and Roca dels moros
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 344 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 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. 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 Abric de masets.
2. 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
Abric de masets comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
3. Prop de la Cova Pintada
The Ports massif rises abruptly at the meeting point of Catalonia, Aragón and Valencia, a tangle of limestone peaks, deep gorges and pine forest that feels surprisingly wild given how close it is to the Ebro delta and the coast. Prop de la Cova Pintada, meaning near the painted cave, sits on its southern side, between Mas de Barberans, Valderrobres and the old city of Tortosa.
Read the complete Prop de la Cova Pintada write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 83 km into the recorded legs you reach Prop de la Cova Pintada. Next is Roca dels moros.
4. Roca dels moros
In 1903, a young man from Calaceite named Juan Cabré, who would go on to become one of Spain's pioneering archaeologists, found painted figures of deer and other animals in a rock shelter in the Calapatá ravine, between Calaceite and Cretas. The Roca dels Moros became one of the first sites of Levantine rock art identified in Spain, and it helped open up a whole new field of study. Today it is part of the UNESCO listing of rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and a visit here is a small pilgrimage to the beginnings of that story.
Read the complete Roca dels moros write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roca dels moros, about halfway. Next is back through Prop de la Cova Pintada.
5. back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Prop de la Cova Pintada write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada sits at 123 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric de masets.
6. back through Abric de masets
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Abric de masets comes up about 295 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova de les Calobres.
7. 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
Cova de les Calobres closes the day.
Leg by leg
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 Prop de la Cova Pintada
Abric de masets → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Roca dels moros
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Roca dels moros is 92 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca dels moros to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Roca dels moros → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through Abric de masets
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through Abric de masets is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de masets to Cova de les Calobres
back through Abric de masets → Cova de les Calobres is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.