Why this ride
From la Salut it runs 300 km to la Salut; allow about 5 h 13 of riding. On the way it passes Roca Roja, Abric de la Serra de la mussara and back through Roca Roja. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Works of Antoni Gaudí and Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 300 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 13
- 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. Works of Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí died on 10 June 1926, after being struck by a tram on the Gran Via, and since this year marks the centenary of his death, Barcelona has been in a mood of homage. The seven works of his that UNESCO lists as a group, among them the crypt of the Colònia Güell, a few kilometres outside the city, form one of the most distinctive bodies of architecture in Europe. They include the Sagrada Família, which he began to direct in 1883 and which is still being completed, the Casa Batlló and Casa Milà with their rippling façades, the Palau Güell on a narrow street off the Rambla, Casa Vicens in Gràcia, and Park Güell.
Read the complete Works of Antoni Gaudí write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Works of Antoni Gaudí is where the day begins. Next is Roca Roja.
2. 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 comes up about 84 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abric de la Serra de la mussara.
3. 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
about 149 km into the recorded legs you reach Abric de la Serra de la mussara. Next is back through Roca Roja.
4. back through Roca Roja
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Roca Roja, late in the day. Next is Works of Antoni Gaudí.
5. Works of Antoni Gaudí
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Works of Antoni Gaudí write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Works of Antoni Gaudí. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Works of Antoni Gaudí to Roca Roja
Works of Antoni Gaudí → Roca Roja is 84 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Roca Roja to Abric de la Serra de la mussara
Roca Roja → Abric de la Serra de la mussara is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abric de la Serra de la mussara to back through Roca Roja
Abric de la Serra de la mussara → back through Roca Roja is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Roca Roja to Works of Antoni Gaudí
back through Roca Roja → Works of Antoni Gaudí is 85 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.