Why this ride
A 246 km round trip from Torredembarra - roughly 4 h 29 in the saddle. It goes by way of Balma d'En Roc, Abric de les Llibreres and back through Balma d'En Roc.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Médol Quary and Abric de les Llibreres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 246 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 29
- 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. Médol Quary
Some quarries are ugly scars, and this one is a lesson in what the Romans meant by planning. The Médol quarry, a few kilometres east of Tarragona near Altafulla and Torredembarra, supplied the golden sandstone that built much of Roman Tarraco, the capital of a huge province. Blocks were cut here, hauled to the coast and shipped or carted along the Via Augusta to build temples, walls and the amphitheatre. The quarry is part of the archaeological ensemble of Tarraco inscribed by UNESCO in 2000.
Read the complete Médol Quary write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Médol Quary is where the day begins. Next is Balma d'En Roc.
2. 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
Balma d'En Roc comes up about 62 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 121 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de les Llibreres. Next is back through Balma d'En Roc.
4. 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
back through Balma d'En Roc, late in the day. Next is Médol Quary.
5. Médol Quary
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Médol Quary write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Médol Quary. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Médol Quary to Balma d'En Roc
Médol Quary → Balma d'En Roc is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Balma d'En Roc to Abric de les Llibreres
Balma d'En Roc → 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 Balma d'En Roc
Abric de les Llibreres → back through Balma d'En Roc is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Balma d'En Roc to Médol Quary
back through Balma d'En Roc → Médol Quary is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.