Why this ride
From Tivissa it runs 384 km to Tivissa; allow about 6 h 42 of riding. It goes by way of Abric de Gallicant, Albi II / Balma dels Punts, Roca Roja and back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova del Pi and Roca Roja
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 384 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 42
- 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 del Pi
The Ebro takes a long turn through southern Catalonia before it reaches the sea, and in this stretch it flows wide and slow between orchards and dry hills, past old towns on rocky promontories. Miravet, with fewer than eight hundred people, is the most dramatic, a cluster of ochre houses stacked up below a Templar castle built in the twelfth century, with the river curving below. The castle was one of the main strongholds of the Knights Templar in the region, and in 1308, when the order was suppressed, its defenders held out for a time against the king's army. A small flat barge, the barca de Miravet, has long carried people across the river on a cable, and the crossing is a neat way to see the village from the water.
Read the complete Cova del Pi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del Pi is where the day begins. Next is Abric de Gallicant.
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 57 km into the recorded legs. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
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 105 km into the recorded legs you reach Albi II / Balma dels Punts. Next is Roca Roja.
4. Roca Roja
Roca Roja, the red rock, is a fitting name for this corner of inland Catalonia, where sandstone and conglomerate cliffs glow rust-coloured in the evening light above pine forest and small terraced fields. The point lies in the hills between Querol and Mediona, where the comarques of Alt Camp, Alt Penedès and Anoia meet, a rugged, thinly populated upland that most people speed past on the motorway between Barcelona and Lleida without realising it exists.
Read the complete Roca Roja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roca Roja, about halfway. Next is back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
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 187 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric de Gallicant.
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 321 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova del Pi.
7. Cova del Pi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del Pi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del Pi closes the day.
Leg by leg
Cova del Pi to Abric de Gallicant
Cova del Pi → Abric de Gallicant is 57 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 Roca Roja
Albi II / Balma dels Punts → Roca Roja is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca Roja to back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Roca Roja → back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 70 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 del Pi
back through Abric de Gallicant → Cova del Pi is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.