Why this ride
314 km from Montblanc to Montblanc, about 5 h 16 of riding. It goes by way of Cova del Cingle, Abric d'Esquarterades II and back through Cova del Cingle.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova de les Creus and Abric d'Esquarterades II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 314 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 16
- 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 Creus
Montblanc is a walled town that looks almost too perfect, and then you realise it has been looking like this since the fourteenth century. The Conca de Barberà is a basin of vineyards and cereal fields ringed by low mountains, and Montblanc sits at its heart with over a kilometre of medieval walls, towers and gates still standing. The town claims to be the setting for the legend of St George and the dragon, and each April it celebrates the festival of Sant Jordi, with a medieval week of costumes and markets.
Read the complete Cova de les Creus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova de les Creus 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 81 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 156 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 Cova de les Creus.
5. Cova de les Creus
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de les Creus 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 Creus. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cova de les Creus to Cova del Cingle
Cova de les Creus → Cova del Cingle is 81 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 Cova de les Creus
back through Cova del Cingle → Cova de les Creus is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.