Why this ride
From Fuentespalda it runs 311 km to Fuentespalda; allow about 7 h 05 of riding. On the way it passes Roca dels moros, Prop de la Cova Pintada, Abric de masets and back through Prop de la Cova Pintada. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Els figuerals and Abric de masets
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 311 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 05
- 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. Els figuerals
The Matarraña, or Matarranya in Catalan, is the corner of Teruel that tourism brochures like to call Spain's Tuscany, and for once the comparison is not silly. Olive groves and almond orchards climb rolling hills topped by stone villages with church towers, while to the south the limestone wall of the Ports de Beseit rises abruptly, cut by gorges and clear rivers. Near the village of Fuentespalda, a painted shelter called Els Figuerals adds this valley to the long UNESCO roll of Iberian rock art.
Read the complete Els figuerals write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Els figuerals is where the day begins. Next is Roca dels moros.
2. 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 comes up about 25 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 107 km into the recorded legs you reach Prop de la Cova Pintada. Next is Abric de masets.
4. 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, 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 107 km, about halfway. Next is back through Roca dels moros.
6. back through Roca dels moros
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Roca dels moros comes up about 285 km into the recorded legs. Next is Els figuerals.
7. Els figuerals
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Els figuerals write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Els figuerals closes the day.
Leg by leg
Els figuerals to Roca dels moros
Els figuerals → Roca dels moros is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca dels moros to Prop de la Cova Pintada
Roca dels moros → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 82 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Abric de masets
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Abric de masets is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de masets to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Abric de masets → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through Roca dels moros
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through Roca dels moros is 92 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Roca dels moros to Els figuerals
back through Roca dels moros → Els figuerals is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.