Why this ride
A 413 km round trip from Torredembarra - roughly 7 h 26 in the saddle. The stops in between: Britus Il, Paleochristian cemetery, Britus I and La Vall de la Coma. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The and La Vall de la Coma
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 413 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 26
- 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
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 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 about 50 km into the recorded legs. Next is Paleochristian cemetery.
3. Paleochristian cemetery
When the Roman city of Tarraco converted to Christianity, its people began burying their dead beside the Francolí river, west of the town, and the necropolis that grew up there over the fourth and fifth centuries is now one of the most important early Christian burial sites in the western Mediterranean. Hundreds of tombs were found, from simple graves to carved marble sarcophagi, along with remains of a basilica. Tradition links the site with Saint Fructuosus, the bishop of Tarraco burned in the amphitheatre in the year 259 along with two deacons.
Read the complete Paleochristian cemetery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 98 km into the recorded legs you reach Paleochristian cemetery. Next is Britus I.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is La Vall de la Coma.
5. 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
La Vall de la Coma sits at 146 km, about halfway. Next is back through Britus I.
6. 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 comes up about 268 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Paleochristian cemetery.
7. back through Paleochristian cemetery
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Paleochristian cemetery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 315 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Paleochristian cemetery. 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 The.
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 413 km.
Leg by leg
The to Britus Il
The → Britus Il is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Britus Il to Paleochristian cemetery
Britus Il → Paleochristian cemetery is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Paleochristian cemetery to Britus I
Paleochristian cemetery → Britus I is 47 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 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Vall de la Coma to back through Britus I
La Vall de la Coma → back through Britus I is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus I to back through Paleochristian cemetery
back through Britus I → back through Paleochristian cemetery is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Paleochristian cemetery to back through Britus Il
back through Paleochristian cemetery → back through Britus Il is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Britus Il to The
back through Britus Il → The is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Médol Quary and La Vall de la Coma · 406 km
- Britus I and Aqueduct · 253 km
- Britus Il and Aqueduct · 250 km
- Abrics de l'Apotecari and La Vall de la Coma · 405 km