Why this ride
339 km from Valderrobres to Valderrobres, about 5 h 51 of riding. It goes by way of Prop de la Cova Pintada, Roca dels moros and back through Prop de la Cova Pintada. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
La fenellosa and Roca dels moros
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 339 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 51
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. La fenellosa
People in Aragón like to call the Matarraña their Tuscany, and for once the comparison is not entirely marketing. It is a comarca of honey-coloured stone villages on hilltops, olive groves on terraces, almond trees and vineyards, with the limestone wall of the Ports de Beseit rising behind. La Fenellosa lies in this country, between Valderrobres, Fuentespalda and Mas de Barberans across the Catalan line, in the rough hills where the farmland gives way to the mountains.
Read the complete La fenellosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La fenellosa is where the day begins. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
2. 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 comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Roca dels moros.
3. 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
about 174 km into the recorded legs you reach Roca dels moros. Next is back through Prop de la Cova Pintada.
4. 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, late in the day. Next is La fenellosa.
5. La fenellosa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La fenellosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at La fenellosa. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
La fenellosa to Prop de la Cova Pintada
La fenellosa → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Roca dels moros
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Roca dels moros is 101 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca dels moros to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Roca dels moros → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 101 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to La fenellosa
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → La fenellosa is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.