Why this ride
501 km from Montblanc to Montblanc, about 10 h 42 of riding. The stops in between: Aqueduct, Balma d'En Roc, Prop de la Cova Pintada and Abric d'Ermites VI. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso and Abric d'Ermites VI
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 501 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 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. Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Behind the Conca de Barberà, where the Catalan plain begins to lift towards the Serra de Prades, a small valley holds the monastery of Poblet, one of the largest and best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Europe. The Mas d'en Ramon d'en Besso is a farmhouse a few kilometres from Montblanc and from the village of Vimbodí, in wooded country of holm oak, pine and dry-stone terraces with the red cliffs of the Roques Guàrdies nearby.
Read the complete Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso is where the day begins. Next is Aqueduct.
2. Aqueduct
The Pont del Diable, the Devil's Bridge, is not a bridge for people. It is a Roman aqueduct, a tall, two-tiered stone arcade that carried water to Tarraco, modern Tarragona, from the Francolí river, about fifteen kilometres away. It spans a small valley near the road to Constantí, two hundred metres long and about twenty-seven metres high at its tallest point, built of big dressed stones without mortar, and it has stood for roughly two thousand years. UNESCO included it in the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco in 2000.
Read the complete Aqueduct write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Aqueduct comes up about 72 km into the recorded legs. Next is Balma d'En Roc.
3. Balma d'En Roc
Inland from the Costa Daurada, the Serra de Llaberia rises abruptly above the coastal plain, a jagged wall of limestone separating the sea from the valley of the Ebro. The rock shelter of Balma d'En Roc lies in this rough country, part of the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO, and like most of its kind it is small, fragile and best visited with local guidance. The nearest villages are scattered: Ginestar on the Ebro, El Perelló on the coastal side, and Mont-roig del Camp to the north-east.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach Balma d'En Roc. Next is Prop de la Cova Pintada.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Abric d'Ermites VI.
5. Abric d'Ermites VI
Ulldecona sits at the foot of the Serra de Godall, in the southern tip of Catalonia, close to the border with Valencia and a short distance from the Ebro delta. The town is an old one, set among olive groves that produce a good oil, and above it stands the hermitage of La Pietat, with long views to the sea. The Abric d'Ermites VI is one of the rock shelters of the Ermites group, painted in the Levantine style with small red figures of hunters, and part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art inscribed by UNESCO in 1998. The shelters lie in the cliffs of the Godall range, and access is by foot with regulations to protect the paintings.
Read the complete Abric d'Ermites VI write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric d'Ermites VI sits at 182 km, about halfway. Next is back through Prop de la Cova Pintada.
6. 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 comes up about 292 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Balma d'En Roc.
7. back through Balma d'En Roc
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 375 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Balma d'En Roc. Next is back through Aqueduct.
8. back through Aqueduct
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Aqueduct write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Aqueduct, late in the day. Next is Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso.
9. Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso 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 501 km.
Leg by leg
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso to Aqueduct
Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso → Aqueduct is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Aqueduct to Balma d'En Roc
Aqueduct → Balma d'En Roc is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Balma d'En Roc to Prop de la Cova Pintada
Balma d'En Roc → Prop de la Cova Pintada is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prop de la Cova Pintada to Abric d'Ermites VI
Prop de la Cova Pintada → Abric d'Ermites VI is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric d'Ermites VI to back through Prop de la Cova Pintada
Abric d'Ermites VI → back through Prop de la Cova Pintada is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada to back through Balma d'En Roc
back through Prop de la Cova Pintada → back through Balma d'En Roc is 83 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Balma d'En Roc to back through Aqueduct
back through Balma d'En Roc → back through Aqueduct is 81 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Aqueduct to Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso
back through Aqueduct → Mas d'En Ramon d'en Besso is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.