Cistercian Route by bicycle

Departure at 7:30 am from Barcelona. Transfer to the accommodation, we leave the luggage and start the route. First 3 km on a local road downhill to Espluga de Francolí. We cross the village and begin a journey of about 10 km between quiet rural tracks that go up towards the Serra del Tallat. We will find an asphalted stretch for two kilometers that will help us to overcome without problems the Cap del Coll of 726 mt. Here we return to some fast tracks that surround the Santuari del Tallat, an old Gothic monastery that was abandoned after the disentailment. It is worth approaching overcoming a few more meters of unevenness as it is a magnificent viewpoint over the surrounding counties.

From this point the fast downhill tracks will take us to Montblanquet, a very small picturesque village attached to the municipality of Vallbona. We will continue descending along good tracks until about 500 mt. before reaching Vallbona de les Monges. Here we will have to descend from the bike for a few meters to overcome a broken path with magnificent views over the town.

At Vallbona de les Monges we will be able to contemplate the majesty of the Cistercian Monastery. This monastery was founded in the 12th century and in its beginnings it housed a mixed community. Later it was attached to the orbit of the Benedictine order and at the end of the 12th century the monks moved to Montsant leaving the Monastery of Vallbona to the nuns. This monastery is one of the few religious communities that was not affected by the consequences of the disentailment of Mendizábal, so the monastic life has not been interrupted since its medieval beginnings.

We will look for a place in Vallbona to regain strength before facing the last 15 km of the route. The initial climb of about 3 km, overcoming the Coll de l’Olla, represents the steepest part of this section. Then the tracks are more rolling and go slightly uphill through a mountain range with magnificent views. On one side we will see the valleys of Segrià with the spectacular backdrop of the Pyrenees, on the other the plains of the Conca de Barberà to the mountains that protect Montblanc. Another attraction of this section is its coincidence with the republican defense line L2 that stretched from the Pyrenees to Tarragona. Arrival and accommodation in Belltall.

We will head from Belltall to the small and elevated village of Forès, still along the mountain range that we continued pedaling from the previous day. From this point we will start a fast descent of 5 km that separates us from the town of Rocafort de Queralt. We save in this distance about 300 mt of unevenness, first by asphalt and then by fast tracks that require extreme attention. From Rocafort we start one of the bicycle alternatives that we have traced in the route. This section will cross one of the loneliest parts of the Serra del Comaverd and always looking for its less steep slopes. The first 5 km go up through rural tracks until a small local road without traffic that will take us in a fun descent to the village of Vallespinosa. There we start a climb of about two kilometers, first quite affordable by a track in good condition that crosses a dense forest. In the last meters the track has some steeper slopes but within walking distance of the Coll de les Agulles. From here everything will be a rapid descent to the Pont de Armentera. First with some steeper sections in the first 2 km and then by a quiet local asphalted track. Magnificent views on the descent of the entire Alt Camp plain. Cross the Pont de Armentera and take a track parallel to the river Gaià that takes us directly to Santes Creus between wooded areas and fields.

The Monastery of Santes Creus was also founded in the 12th century, and was one of the most influential religious centers of Catalonia. Due to its relationship with the royal house of the Crown of Aragon, it houses the tombs of several of its members. The disentailment of 1835 led to the abandonment of the monastery, which in 1921 was declared a National Monument. Today a Board of Trustees oversees its management. If we have time it is worth visiting its spectacular interior. Among the highlights is the Gothic cloister, which fleeing from the decorative austerity of the order presents a wealth of forms. The large dimensions of the complex included a royal palace, infirmary, refectory, kitchen, prison, monks’ quarters, chapter house, church, two cloisters, etc.

An audio-visual that is broadcasted in the scriptorium will help us to understand the functioning of the community and the life of the monks.

Lodging in Santes Creus.

Last stage of the Cistercian Route by bicycle. We will face an initial 12 km by a totally affordable but entertaining route. We start climbing a short track with extraordinary views of the complex of Santes Creus. We will continue gliding along rural tracks until we start the last climbs of the day to the village of Cabra del Camp. Some short but steep slopes bring us closer to the Serra de Jordà. They are about 5 km entertaining that pass through a dense Mediterranean forest, the last 2 in steep descent to meet the small village of Prenafeta. From here there are a series of tracks and short stretches of downhill path that will take us to Montblanc, capital of the region and a town with a medieval layout that deserves a visit for several points of interest.

From Montblanc to Poblet we will pass through a 10 km stretch that crosses a diverse orography. We alternate fields of olive and almond trees with stretches of dense forest. The pedaling is done at a good pace with a succession of ups and downs with some of the steepest slopes but short. In general the tracks are in good condition except for some small stony sections.

We will arrive at the Poblet Monasterythe third of the Cistercian Route and one of the largest monastic complexes in Europe. It was founded as the previous ones in the 12th century and abandoned by the community in the 19th century. Since 1940, a small community – currently about thirty monks – has returned to the monastery and has recovered the monastic life. Also closely related to the Crown of Aragon, in its interior lie the tombs of what was its royal pantheon during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It is worth the visit of the set and especially if it coincides with some of the songs performed by the monks during the offices of lauds or vespers.

In the afternoon return to Barcelona.