Why this ride
A 447 km round trip from Mequinensa / Mequinenza - roughly 8 h 00 in the saddle. On the way it passes Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés, Abric de Gallicant, The and Roca Roja. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Vallbufandes I and Roca Roja
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 447 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 00
- 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. Vallbufandes I
Mequinenza sits where three rivers meet. The Segre and the Cinca flow into the Ebro here, and the town has lived by them for centuries, first as a river port and a fortress with a Gothic castle, then as a coal-mining town, with lignite dug from the hills and shipped by barge. In the 1960s, the Ebro was dammed downstream and a huge reservoir, now known as the Mar de Aragón, flooded the valley and swallowed much of the old town. Its people moved to a new town above the water, and the old streets lie under it. It is a poignant story, and locals have not forgotten it.
Read the complete Vallbufandes I write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Vallbufandes I is where the day begins. Next is Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.
2. 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
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés comes up about 52 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de Gallicant.
3. Abric de Gallicant
Alforja is a village on the southern edge of the Prades mountains, where the plain of the Camp de Tarragona meets the steep slopes of the Serra de l'Argentera and the Serra de la Mussara. The Abric de Gallicant lies in the hills near Alforja, Vilaplana and Ulldemolins, and it is one of the many prehistoric shelters in these mountains that form part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The name means rooster's song, a poetic touch typical of Catalan place names. The paintings in this area are generally schematic, with simple figures and geometric shapes, and many shelters are protected by fences.
Read the complete Abric de Gallicant write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 111 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de Gallicant. Next is The.
4. The
Inside a plain-looking farmhouse building is a domed hall from the fourth century, its cupola covered in mosaics of hunting scenes, biblical stories and figures that may represent the imperial family. Some scholars believe it was built as a mausoleum for Constans, son of Constantine the Great, who was killed in 350; others are not so sure, and the debate is part of the fun. The site belongs to the UNESCO listing for the Roman town of Tarraco.
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, about halfway. Next is Roca Roja.
5. Roca Roja
Roca Roja, the red rock, is a fitting name for this corner of inland Catalonia, where sandstone and conglomerate cliffs glow rust-coloured in the evening light above pine forest and small terraced fields. The point lies in the hills between Querol and Mediona, where the comarques of Alt Camp, Alt Penedès and Anoia meet, a rugged, thinly populated upland that most people speed past on the motorway between Barcelona and Lleida without realising it exists.
Read the complete Roca Roja write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roca Roja sits at 186 km, about halfway. Next is back through The.
6. back through 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
back through The comes up about 285 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Abric de Gallicant.
7. back through Abric de Gallicant
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abric de Gallicant write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 336 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Abric de Gallicant. Next is back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Vallbufandes I.
9. Vallbufandes I
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vallbufandes I 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 447 km.
Leg by leg
Vallbufandes I to Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
Vallbufandes I → Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to Abric de Gallicant
Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → Abric de Gallicant is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de Gallicant to The
Abric de Gallicant → The is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The to Roca Roja
The → Roca Roja is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Roca Roja to back through The
Roca Roja → back through The is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The to back through Abric de Gallicant
back through The → back through Abric de Gallicant is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Abric de Gallicant to back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés
back through Abric de Gallicant → back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés to Vallbufandes I
back through Pintures Rupestres d'Alfés → Vallbufandes I is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.