Why this ride
A 333 km round trip from Rosell - roughly 5 h 52 in the saddle. It goes by way of Els Secans, Cova del Ramat and back through Els Secans. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin and Cova del Ramat
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 333 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 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 dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the emptiest corners of the Valencian Community, a group of tiny stone villages scattered across rugged limestone mountains in the far north of Castellón, right where Valencia, Catalonia and Aragón meet. The Cova dels Rossegadors, also called the Cova del Polvorí, lies on the edge of this country near Rossell, with Mas de Barberans and Canet lo Roig the other nearby villages.
Read the complete Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is where the day begins. Next is Els Secans.
2. Els Secans
The lower Matarraña, in the far east of Aragón, is a drier, emptier country than the green upper valley. Here, the river flows through low hills of sandstone and limestone, with olive groves, almond trees and cereal fields, and the villages stand on hilltops, built of golden stone. Mazaleón is one of them, a small village above the river, with Maella and Calaceite nearby. Els Secans, a name meaning the dry lands, is a shelter with prehistoric paintings in the hills just outside the village.
Read the complete Els Secans write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Els Secans comes up about 98 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova del Ramat.
3. 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
about 167 km into the recorded legs you reach Cova del Ramat. Next is back through Els Secans.
4. back through Els Secans
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Els Secans write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Els Secans, late in the day. Next is Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin.
5. Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin to Els Secans
Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin → Els Secans is 98 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Els Secans to Cova del Ramat
Els Secans → Cova del Ramat is 69 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Cova del Ramat to back through Els Secans
Cova del Ramat → back through Els Secans is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Els Secans to Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin
back through Els Secans → Cova dels Rossegadors o del Polvorin is 98 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.