Why this ride
302 km from Bellprat to Bellprat, about 5 h 31 of riding. It goes by way of Abric de la Serra de la mussara, Cova de les Calobres and back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Roca Roja and Cova de les Calobres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 302 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 31
- 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. Roca Roja
Roca Roja, the red rock, is a fitting name for this corner of inland Catalonia, where sandstone and conglomerate cliffs glow rust-coloured in the evening light above pine forest and small terraced fields. The point lies in the hills between Querol and Mediona, where the comarques of Alt Camp, Alt Penedès and Anoia meet, a rugged, thinly populated upland that most people speed past on the motorway between Barcelona and Lleida without realising it exists.
Read the complete Roca Roja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roca Roja is where the day begins. Next is Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
2. Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Climb out of Reus on a clear morning and the Serra de la Mussara rises ahead like a wall, a limestone escarpment that holds up the edge of the Prades plateau and drops steeply to the plain of the Camp de Tarragona. The rock shelters along this cliff line, close to the village of Vilaplana, are part of the prehistoric painted landscape of eastern Spain. The best reason to stop, though, is the view: on a good day you look straight down over hazelnut orchards and olive groves to Reus, Tarragona and the sea.
Read the complete Abric de la Serra de la mussara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Serra de la mussara comes up 65 km in. Next is Cova de les Calobres.
3. Cova de les Calobres
The Ebro is near its end here. South of Tortosa the river spreads into a flat delta of rice fields, lagoons and sand spits, and the coast of the Baix Ebre curves out into the sea. The Cova de les Calobres, the Cave of the Snakes, is a shelter inland from El Perelló, in the dry limestone hills of the Serra de Cardó. The rock paintings of this area belong to the Mediterranean-arc group that UNESCO listed in 1998, and the nearby shelters have given their names to the ride titles.
Read the complete Cova de les Calobres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
129 km in you reach Cova de les Calobres. Next is back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
4. back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Serra de la mussara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara, late in the day. Next is Roca Roja.
5. Roca Roja
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Roca Roja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Roca Roja. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Roca Roja to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Roca Roja → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to Cova de les Calobres
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → Cova de les Calobres is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Cova de les Calobres to back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Cova de les Calobres → back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara to Roca Roja
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara → Roca Roja is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.