Transcatalunya: La Fatarella – Torres de Segre

A section of the long TransCatalonia route that starts in La Fatarella and ends in Torres de Segre, passing through Almatret, Seròs and Utxesa. The route is 78 kilometres long and is recommended for experienced cyclists.

Leave the La Casa Ecològica hostel and take the tarmacked trail through Sant Francesc valley, which descends 23 kilometres along the torrent. Pass the hermitage of Sant Francesc, where the tarmac becomes gravel, and do not leave this trail until you come to the TV-7411 road around Riba-roja reservoir. During the descent, you will come across many different points of interest, a lot of which are related to the Battle of the Ebro.

  Follow the TV-7411 road next to the reservoir and, after Riba-roja campsite, you will come to the dam, which you cross over to the other side of the reservoir before following the concrete road to the village, surrounded by cropland. Leave the road when you reach the village and take the tarmacked trail on a steep uphill climb towards Almatret. This trail runs initially through cropland before entering forest areas where it becomes a dirt track. The last section before reaching the peak is gravel again, although it is in bad condition. From the summit there are good views of the Ebro river right to its mouth on one side, and of partially urban land that is quite worse for wear on the other, to the village of Almatret, which you will cross. On leaving, you will come to Almatret point, a highly recommended point of interest.

Continue along a trail in good condition, paying attention because, when you begin the descent and after around one kilometre, you take a rather steep and technically complicated trail on your right that forces you to walk some of the way to Canoles gorge. At this point, pay attention to the GPS tracker, as it is a very inhospitable and complicated area. Continue climbing paths and trails in bad condition with steep slopes until you reach the peak, where you will come to a trail in good condition that you leave after a while to take another in bad condition, this time downhill. Take the LV-7046 road for a few metres and then turn left onto a trail in good condition, which you will follow for quite a while, mostly downhill, surrounded by cropland, until you come to a newly built house. Ride around the left of it and take a quiet trail that becomes a path surrouned by young pine trees and, a little later, by cropland. Follow this path for around three kilometres until you come to a country house in ruins, where you should stop to see the tiles forming the stairway.

Follow the trail gently downhill until you come to a gravel site that you leave to your right. Continue downhill along a trail in very good condition until you reach the Segre river. Turn right at this point, following the path alongside the left bank of the river, surrounded by fruit trees that are typical of Lleida. Soon after the junction to Canadenca, the power plant at the end of Seròs canal, along tarmacked paths, turn right following the signposts to La Cabana d'Aitona, on a gentle uphill climb to Seròs canal.

Take the service road on the right bank of the canal towards Lleida and, after a few kilometres, you will come to Utxesa reservoir, an area of interest in terms of both nature and countryside. Continue towards Lleida and, after a kilometre, you will come back to Seròs canal and follow it along its right bank until the turn-off to Torres de Segre, the end of the stage.