Why this ride
314 km from Tarragona to Tarragona, about 4 h 21 of riding. On the way it passes Albi II / Balma dels Punts, Camino de la Cova Plana II and back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The imperial cult enclosure and Camino de la Cova Plana II
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 314 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 21
- 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 imperial cult enclosure
When the Emperor Augustus died in AD 14, the people of Tarraco asked permission to build a temple to him, and Tiberius agreed. Tacitus records the request, and the rhetorician Quintilian preserves a joke from the emperor's lifetime: when the people of Tarraco reported that a palm tree had sprouted on his altar, Augustus replied that it showed how seldom they lit the fire on it. The imperial cult enclosure, the sacred precinct of the provincial capital, occupied the top of the hill, and what survives of it now lies under and beside the cathedral of Tarragona.
Read the complete The imperial cult enclosure write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The imperial cult enclosure is where the day begins. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
2. Albi II / Balma dels Punts
L'Albi is a small village on a hill in Les Garrigues, the dry, olive-covered district southeast of Lleida, and its name appears in the archaeological record thanks to rock shelters in the area, including the Balma dels Punts, the shelter of the dots. The name suggests schematic paintings in the form of dots and lines, typical of the later phase of prehistoric art in the region, and the site is part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The shelters are small and fragile, and some can only be visited with a guide, so check with the town hall or a local interpretation centre before heading out.
Read the complete Albi II / Balma dels Punts write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Albi II / Balma dels Punts comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Camino de la Cova Plana II.
3. 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
about 139 km into the recorded legs you reach Camino de la Cova Plana II. Next is back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
4. back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Albi II / Balma dels Punts write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts, late in the day. Next is The imperial cult enclosure.
5. The imperial cult enclosure
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The imperial cult enclosure write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The imperial cult enclosure. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The imperial cult enclosure to Albi II / Balma dels Punts
The imperial cult enclosure → Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Albi II / Balma dels Punts to Camino de la Cova Plana II
Albi II / Balma dels Punts → Camino de la Cova Plana II is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Camino de la Cova Plana II to back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Camino de la Cova Plana II → back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 95 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts to The imperial cult enclosure
back through Albi II / Balma dels Punts → The imperial cult enclosure is 80 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.