Why this ride
A 503 km round trip from Tarragona - roughly 9 h 47 in the saddle. The stops in between: Abric de la Serra de la mussara, La Vall de la Coma, Camino de la Cova Plana II and mas de Torres. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tower of the Scipios and mas de Torres
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 503 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 47
- 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. 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 Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
2. Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Climb out of Reus on a clear morning and the Serra de la Mussara rises ahead like a wall, a limestone escarpment that holds up the edge of the Prades plateau and drops steeply to the plain of the Camp de Tarragona. The rock shelters along this cliff line, close to the village of Vilaplana, are part of the prehistoric painted landscape of eastern Spain. The best reason to stop, though, is the view: on a good day you look straight down over hazelnut orchards and olive groves to Reus, Tarragona and the sea.
Read the complete Abric de la Serra de la mussara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abric de la Serra de la mussara comes up 42 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
83 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 167 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 208 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
250 km in you reach back through La Vall de la Coma. Next is back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
8. back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de la Serra de la mussara write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara, late in the day. Next is Tower of the Scipios.
9. 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
The route ends here after 503 km.
Leg by leg
Tower of the Scipios to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Tower of the Scipios → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to La Vall de la Coma
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → La Vall de la Coma is 37 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 Abric de la Serra de la mussara
back through La Vall de la Coma → back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara to Tower of the Scipios
back through Abric de la Serra de la mussara → Tower of the Scipios is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
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