Why this ride
A 527 km round trip from Torredembarra - roughly 9 h 21 in the saddle. On the way it passes Britus Il, La Vall de la Coma, Camino de la Cova Plana II and mas de Torres. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Médol Quary and mas de Torres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 527 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 21
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 Britus Il.
2. Britus Il
What matters is the country around it, which is some of the finest in inland Catalonia. You are in the Conca de Barberà, the basin of the Francolí river, a few kilometres from the walled town of Montblanc and the village of Alcover, with the wooded wall of the Serra de Prades rising to the west. The area is dotted with prehistoric rock shelters, part of the great arc of Mediterranean rock art that runs down eastern Spain, and many of the site names along these rides are exactly that: a ledge of sandstone or limestone where hunters painted deer and archers thousands of years ago.
Read the complete Britus Il write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Britus Il comes up 42 km in. Next is La Vall de la Coma.
3. La Vall de la Coma
The Garrigues is the dry heart of Lleida province, a land of terraced hills, stone walls and endless olive groves, and La Vall de la Coma is one of its quiet valleys, in the municipality of L'Albi. In a few rock shelters here, prehistoric people painted small figures in red, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean basin that is recognized as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are fragile and modest in size, and access is usually organized through local guides or interpretation centres, so plan ahead rather than expecting to wander in.
Read the complete La Vall de la Coma write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
83 km in you reach La Vall de la Coma. Next is Camino de la Cova Plana II.
4. Camino de la Cova Plana II
Three rivers come together near Mequinenza: the Ebro, flowing in from the west, and the Segre and Cinca, arriving together from the Pyrenees to the north. The meeting point, now swallowed by the reservoirs behind the dams, has always been a strategic place, and the much-restored castle on the hill above the town has watched over it for centuries. The Camino de la Cova Plana is a track in the hills east of town, towards the Catalan border, and the site recorded here is one of the many prehistoric rock shelters scattered across this dry, rugged landscape.
Read the complete Camino de la Cova Plana II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Camino de la Cova Plana II, about halfway. Next is mas de Torres.
5. mas de Torres
The Monegros in high summer is the closest thing Europe has to a desert, a wide, dry plateau of gypsum hills, wheat stubble and steppe scrub under a hard, white sky. Near the village of Candasnos, close to the main road between Zaragoza and Lleida, the shelter labelled Mas de Torres is one of the rock art sites of the Mediterranean Basin listed by UNESCO, a reminder that people lived and hunted here long before the land dried out to its present state.
Read the complete mas de Torres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
mas de Torres sits at 167 km, about halfway. Next is back through Camino de la Cova Plana II.
6. back through Camino de la Cova Plana II
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Camino de la Cova Plana II write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Camino de la Cova Plana II comes up 208 km in. Next is back through La Vall de la Coma.
7. back through La Vall de la Coma
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Vall de la Coma write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
250 km in you reach back through La Vall de la Coma. Next is back through Britus Il.
8. back through Britus Il
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Britus Il write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Britus Il, late in the day. Next is Médol Quary.
9. 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
The route ends here after 527 km.
Leg by leg
Médol Quary to Britus Il
Médol Quary → Britus Il is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus Il to La Vall de la Coma
Britus Il → La Vall de la Coma is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Vall de la Coma to Camino de la Cova Plana II
La Vall de la Coma → Camino de la Cova Plana II is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Camino de la Cova Plana II to mas de Torres
Camino de la Cova Plana II → mas de Torres is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
mas de Torres to back through Camino de la Cova Plana II
mas de Torres → back through Camino de la Cova Plana II is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Camino de la Cova Plana II to back through La Vall de la Coma
back through Camino de la Cova Plana II → back through La Vall de la Coma is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Vall de la Coma to back through Britus Il
back through La Vall de la Coma → back through Britus Il is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus Il to Médol Quary
back through Britus Il → Médol Quary is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Abrics de l'Apotecari and mas de Torres · 525 km
- The and mas de Torres · 533 km
- Roman walls and mas de Torres · 512 km
- Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco and mas de Torres · 512 km