Why this ride
A 382 km round trip from l'Ametlla de Mar - roughly 8 h 52 in the saddle. It goes by way of Abric de masets, Abric de la Tenalla, Abric d'Esquarterades I and Prop de la Cova Pintada. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova del Taller and Prop de la Cova Pintada
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 382 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 52
- 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 Taller
South of Tortosa the Ebro river slows down and spreads into one of the great wetlands of the western Mediterranean, but a few kilometres inland the country is hilly and dry, with limestone outcrops and terraced olives. Cova del Taller sits somewhere in this landscape of the Baix Ebre, near El Perelló and L'Ampolla, and is one of the shelters that carry prehistoric paintings in Catalonia.
Read the complete Cova del Taller write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova del Taller 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 46 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de la Tenalla.
3. Abric de la Tenalla
The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the wildest corners of the Valencian region, a cluster of tiny villages in the mountains where Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon meet, and the Abric de la Tenalla lies on its southeastern edge, near Rosell. It is one of the many rock shelters in this area with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the nearby Serra de Godall and the Ulldecona shelters to the east are among the most important sites in Catalonia. The landscape is dramatic: limestone cliffs, deep gorges, pine and holm oak forests, and abandoned terraces where shepherds once grazed their flocks.
Read the complete Abric de la Tenalla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 92 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de la Tenalla. Next is Abric d'Esquarterades I.
4. Abric d'Esquarterades I
In the dry hills behind Ulldecona, near the southern tip of Catalonia, small figures painted in red ochre run, hunt and gather across the walls of shallow rock shelters. These are the paintings of Levantine rock art, made by prehistoric people some seven to eight thousand years ago, and the shelters of the Serra de Godall, including the Abric d'Esquarterades, are among the best examples. They are part of the World Heritage site that covers rock art in the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula.
Read the complete Abric d'Esquarterades I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric d'Esquarterades I, about halfway. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
5. 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
Prop de la Cova Pintada sits at 156 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abric d'Esquarterades I.
6. back through Abric d'Esquarterades I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric d'Esquarterades I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric d'Esquarterades I comes up about 239 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Abric de la Tenalla.
7. back through Abric de la Tenalla
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Tenalla write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 282 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Abric de la Tenalla. Next is back through Abric de masets.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Cova del Taller.
9. Cova del Taller
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova del Taller write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 382 km.
Leg by leg
Cova del Taller to Abric de masets
Cova del Taller → Abric de masets is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de masets to Abric de la Tenalla
Abric de masets → Abric de la Tenalla is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Tenalla to Abric d'Esquarterades I
Abric de la Tenalla → Abric d'Esquarterades I is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric d'Esquarterades I to Prop de la Cova Pintada
Abric d'Esquarterades I → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through Abric d'Esquarterades I
Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through Abric d'Esquarterades I is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric d'Esquarterades I to back through Abric de la Tenalla
back through Abric d'Esquarterades I → back through Abric de la Tenalla is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Tenalla to back through Abric de masets
back through Abric de la Tenalla → back through Abric de masets is 54 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de masets to Cova del Taller
back through Abric de masets → Cova del Taller is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.