Why this ride
297 km from Montblanc to Montblanc, about 5 h 39 of riding. On the way it passes Cova de l'Escoda, Abric de les Llibreres and back through Cova de l'Escoda.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mas del Gran and Abric de les Llibreres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 297 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 39
- 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 del Gran
Montblanc is a walled medieval town in the Conca de Barberà, a broad basin of vineyards in inland Catalonia, and it is one of the best-looking small towns in the country. According to local legend, it is where Saint George killed the dragon, which is why Catalonia's patron saint is honoured here with a medieval week every year. The ramparts, with their towers and gates, are largely intact, and walking the streets inside is a pleasure. A few kilometres away, in the hills near Vimbodí, the Cistercian monastery of Poblet, a royal pantheon and one of the great monasteries of Europe, is on the World Heritage list and well worth a visit.
Read the complete Mas del Gran write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mas del Gran is where the day begins. Next is Cova de l'Escoda.
2. Cova de l'Escoda
The Mediterranean Basin rock art does not end at the Valencian border, and the Cova de l'Escoda is a reminder that the painted shelters stretch up into Catalonia. This one lies in the hills inland from the Costa Daurada, in the dry, rugged country of the Baix Camp and the Ribera d'Ebre, with the Serra de Llaberia to the north and the Ebro valley to the south-west. The shelter belongs to the group listed by UNESCO in 1998, and its paintings are in the Levantine style. The nearest places on the map are El Perelló and Ginestar, though the largest town in the area is Mont-roig del Camp, some sixteen kilometres away.
Read the complete Cova de l'Escoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cova de l'Escoda comes up about 87 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de les Llibreres.
3. Abric de les Llibreres
The Montsià range rises abruptly from the coastal plain at the southern tip of Catalonia, a long, rocky ridge of limestone that separates the Ebro delta from the inland valleys. Around its foot lie the villages of Santa Bàrbara, Masdenverge and Ulldecona, surrounded by olive groves, some of them with ancient trees hundreds of years old, their trunks twisted into extraordinary shapes. The Abric de les Llibreres is one of the prehistoric rock shelters in this area, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Abric de les Llibreres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 146 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de les Llibreres. Next is back through Cova de l'Escoda.
4. back through Cova de l'Escoda
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de l'Escoda write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cova de l'Escoda, late in the day. Next is Mas del Gran.
5. Mas del Gran
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mas del Gran write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Mas del Gran. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Mas del Gran to Cova de l'Escoda
Mas del Gran → Cova de l'Escoda is 87 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de l'Escoda to Abric de les Llibreres
Cova de l'Escoda → Abric de les Llibreres is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Llibreres to back through Cova de l'Escoda
Abric de les Llibreres → back through Cova de l'Escoda is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova de l'Escoda to Mas del Gran
back through Cova de l'Escoda → Mas del Gran is 88 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.