Why this ride
A 276 km round trip from Constantí - roughly 4 h 55 in the saddle. On the way it passes The, Cova de Vallmajor, Abrics de l'Apotecari and Britus Il.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The and Britus Il
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 276 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 55
- 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. The
Inside a plain-looking farmhouse building is a domed hall from the fourth century, its cupola covered in mosaics of hunting scenes, biblical stories and figures that may represent the imperial family. Some scholars believe it was built as a mausoleum for Constans, son of Constantine the Great, who was killed in 350; others are not so sure, and the debate is part of the fun. The site belongs to the UNESCO listing for the Roman town of Tarraco.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The is where the day begins. Next is The.
2. The
Just inland from the beach at Altafulla, on the Costa Daurada north of Tarragona, the remains of a grand Roman villa look out over the Mediterranean. This is the Villa dels Munts, one of the finest Roman country houses in Catalonia, built in the first and second centuries AD, with baths, gardens, mosaics and painted walls. It is thought to have belonged to an important citizen of Tarraco, the Roman capital of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis, and it is part of the World Heritage inscription of the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, inscribed in 2000. The villa's setting, on a gentle slope above the sea, makes it easy to see why a wealthy Roman would choose it for a retreat.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The comes up about 16 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cova de Vallmajor.
3. Cova de Vallmajor
Inland from the Costa Daurada, behind the beach towns of El Vendrell and Calafell, the land rises into the low hills of the Baix Penedès, a landscape of vineyards, almond and olive groves, pine woods and small villages. The Cova de Vallmajor, near Albinyana and Bonastre, is a rock shelter in these hills with prehistoric paintings, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean that is recognised as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are faint and the shelter is protected, so visits are usually by arrangement.
Read the complete Cova de Vallmajor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Cova de Vallmajor. Next is Abrics de l'Apotecari.
4. Abrics de l'Apotecari
The coast south of Barcelona has been a corridor since the Romans, and the Via Augusta, the main road from Rome to Hispania, ran along it. At Roda de Berà, a few kilometres down the coast, a freestanding triumphal arch from that road still stands, the Arc de Berà, and the Roman city of Tarraco, now Tarragona, is a short ride away with its amphitheatre above the sea, its circus and walls, all listed by UNESCO. So the hills behind Torredembarra and Altafulla sit in a landscape that already carries a lot of history, even before you get to the much older layers of paint on the rocks.
Read the complete Abrics de l'Apotecari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abrics de l'Apotecari, about halfway. Next is Britus Il.
5. 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 sits at 93 km, about halfway. Next is back through Abrics de l'Apotecari.
6. back through Abrics de l'Apotecari
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abrics de l'Apotecari write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abrics de l'Apotecari comes up about 186 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Cova de Vallmajor.
7. back through Cova de Vallmajor
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cova de Vallmajor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 222 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Cova de Vallmajor. Next is back through The.
8. back through The
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The, late in the day.
9. The
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The 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 276 km.
Leg by leg
The to The
The → The is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The to Cova de Vallmajor
The → Cova de Vallmajor is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cova de Vallmajor to Abrics de l'Apotecari
Cova de Vallmajor → Abrics de l'Apotecari is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abrics de l'Apotecari to Britus Il
Abrics de l'Apotecari → Britus Il is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus Il to back through Abrics de l'Apotecari
Britus Il → back through Abrics de l'Apotecari is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abrics de l'Apotecari to back through Cova de Vallmajor
back through Abrics de l'Apotecari → back through Cova de Vallmajor is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cova de Vallmajor to back through The
back through Cova de Vallmajor → back through The is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The to The
back through The → The is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.