Why this ride
511 km from Tarragona to Tarragona, about 9 h 13 of riding. It goes by way of Britus I, La Vall de la Coma, Camino de la Cova Plana II and mas de Torres. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Circus and mas de Torres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 511 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 13
- 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. The Circus
Chariots in Tarragona raced beneath the walls of the upper city, and the great circus where they ran is still there, though it is hard to see as a whole, because the medieval and modern town grew over it. The Circus was built in the late first century AD, and it was well over three hundred metres long, with room for many thousands of spectators. Today you find its vaulted corridors under the Plaça de la Font and its curved stands incorporated into the buildings around it, with a tower, the Torre del Pretori, rising over one end. The legend says that Pontius Pilate was born here, or at least lived in the tower, a story with no historical basis but which the Tarragonans like to repeat.
Read the complete The Circus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Circus is where the day begins. Next is Britus I.
2. Britus I
Between Montblanc and Vimbodí, in the Conca de Barberà, the land rises toward the Prades mountains and the Serra de la Llena, and in the sandstone and limestone outcrops of these hills, prehistoric hunters left paintings in rock shelters. Britus I is one of these sites, with figures painted in the distinctive style of Levantine rock art, which shows scenes of hunting, gathering and daily life with lively human and animal figures. The rock art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula was inscribed by UNESCO in 1998, covering hundreds of sites from Catalonia to Andalusia. Many are small and fragile, and access is often restricted to protect them.
Read the complete Britus I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Britus I comes up 41 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
82 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 164 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 204 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
245 km in you reach back through La Vall de la Coma. Next is back through Britus I.
8. back through Britus I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Britus I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Britus I, late in the day. Next is The Circus.
9. The Circus
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Circus 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 511 km.
Leg by leg
The Circus to Britus I
The Circus → Britus I is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus I to La Vall de la Coma
Britus I → 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 I
back through La Vall de la Coma → back through Britus I is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus I to The Circus
back through Britus I → The Circus is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.