Why this ride
A 223 km round trip from Caspe - roughly 4 h 10 in the saddle. On the way it passes Roca de marta, Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés, Albi II / Balma dels Punts and back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Val de mamet I and Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 223 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 10
- 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. Val de mamet I
The Ebro river cuts through Aragon in a wide, dry valley, and where it meets its tributaries the Segre and Cinca around Mequinenza it was dammed in the twentieth century to make long, narrow lakes among bare hills. Val de Mamet is a dry side valley in this country, with a shelter that holds prehistoric paintings. The surroundings are arid and open, with low limestone cliffs, thyme and rosemary scrub, and scattered pines and almonds, and the silence is broken mostly by the wind and the occasional hawk.
Read the complete Val de mamet I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Val de mamet I is where the day begins. Next is Roca de marta.
2. Roca de marta
Mequinenza lies where the Segre river meets the Ebro, and the town you see today is not the one that stood here before the 1960s. When a dam was built downstream on the Ebro, the old town was flooded by the reservoir, known as the Mar de Aragón, and its people moved to a new settlement on higher ground. The old castle still sits above the water, and the reservoir stretches in long fingers between bare, ochre hills. It is a landscape both beautiful and a little melancholy, and the lake is famous among anglers for enormous catfish.
Read the complete Roca de marta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roca de marta comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.
3. Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
South of Lleida the irrigated orchards give way abruptly to dry, open steppe, and the little village of Alfés sits on the edge of that change. The Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés are rock paintings in a small sandstone shelter near the village, schematic designs in red pigment, mostly abstract lines, dots and simplified figures, that belong to the later, more symbolic phase of prehistoric art in eastern Spain, and they are included in the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean Basin rock art. They are modest to look at, but there is something powerful about seeing marks left by people thousands of years ago in such an open, wind-swept place.
Read the complete Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 79 km into the recorded legs you reach Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés. Next is Albi II / Balma dels Punts.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.
5. back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés sits at 129 km, about halfway. Next is back through Roca de marta.
6. back through Roca de marta
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Roca de marta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Roca de marta comes up about 200 km into the recorded legs. Next is Val de mamet I.
7. Val de mamet I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Val de mamet I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Val de mamet I closes the day.
Leg by leg
Val de mamet I to Roca de marta
Val de mamet I → Roca de marta is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca de marta to Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Roca de marta → Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to Albi II / Balma dels Punts
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → Albi II / Balma dels Punts is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Albi II / Balma dels Punts to back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Albi II / Balma dels Punts → back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to back through Roca de marta
back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → back through Roca de marta is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Roca de marta to Val de mamet I
back through Roca de marta → Val de mamet I is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.