Why this ride
240 km from Tarragona to Tarragona, about 4 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of Balma d'En Roc, Abric de les Llibreres and back through Balma d'En Roc.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tower of the Scipios and Abric de les Llibreres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 240 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 33
- 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. Tower of the Scipios
Rome built a road through Spain, and this tower stands beside what was left of it. The Torre dels Escipions, the Tower of the Scipios, is a tall, square funerary monument, about nine metres high in its present state, on the old line of the Via Augusta a few kilometres from Tarragona. It was built in the first century AD, and for a long time people thought it was the tomb of the Scipio brothers, the Roman generals who died fighting the Carthaginians in Spain around 211 BC. That story is almost certainly false, but the name stuck.
Read the complete Tower of the Scipios write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tower of the Scipios is where the day begins. Next is Balma d'En Roc.
2. Balma d'En Roc
Inland from the Costa Daurada, the Serra de Llaberia rises abruptly above the coastal plain, a jagged wall of limestone separating the sea from the valley of the Ebro. The rock shelter of Balma d'En Roc lies in this rough country, part of the Levantine rock art inscribed by UNESCO, and like most of its kind it is small, fragile and best visited with local guidance. The nearest villages are scattered: Ginestar on the Ebro, El Perelló on the coastal side, and Mont-roig del Camp to the north-east.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Balma d'En Roc comes up about 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de les Llibreres.
3. Abric de les Llibreres
The Montsià range rises abruptly from the coastal plain at the southern tip of Catalonia, a long, rocky ridge of limestone that separates the Ebro delta from the inland valleys. Around its foot lie the villages of Santa Bàrbara, Masdenverge and Ulldecona, surrounded by olive groves, some of them with ancient trees hundreds of years old, their trunks twisted into extraordinary shapes. The Abric de les Llibreres is one of the prehistoric rock shelters in this area, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
Read the complete Abric de les Llibreres write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 118 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de les Llibreres. Next is back through Balma d'En Roc.
4. back through Balma d'En Roc
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Balma d'En Roc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Balma d'En Roc, late in the day. Next is Tower of the Scipios.
5. Tower of the Scipios
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tower of the Scipios write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Tower of the Scipios. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Tower of the Scipios to Balma d'En Roc
Tower of the Scipios → Balma d'En Roc is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Balma d'En Roc to Abric de les Llibreres
Balma d'En Roc → Abric de les Llibreres is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de les Llibreres to back through Balma d'En Roc
Abric de les Llibreres → back through Balma d'En Roc is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Balma d'En Roc to Tower of the Scipios
back through Balma d'En Roc → Tower of the Scipios is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.