The Hospitallers once held Ulldecona, the knightly order that grew out of a hospital for pilgrims in Jerusalem and ended up with castles all over southern Catalonia. The town still has the look of a fortified place, with a tall church, narrow lanes and the remains of a castle on the hill, and the shelter at Abric d'Ermites V lies about four and a half kilometres from it, on the slopes of the Serra de Godall, where a hermitage stands among the pines. The paintings in the Abrics de l'Ermita belong to the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. Neighbouring sites are known as Valmayor and La Fenellosa, and they appear on the same rides.
What I like about this corner of Catalonia is the nearness of the sea. From the ridge above the shelters, on a clear day, you can see the Ebro delta spread out like a map, its rice fields shining, and the long pale line of the coast beyond. The delta is one of the best birdwatching places in the Mediterranean, with flamingos, herons and thousands of waders, and the rice paddies are the base of the local cooking, including the famous rice dishes cooked with seafood and the local eels.
The riding here is a gentle mix of valley and ridge. The roads climb from Ulldecona through olive terraces and pine woods in easy bends, with open views to the south and the mountains of the Ports. Surfaces are generally good, and traffic is light outside August, when the coast fills with holidaymakers. The wind, called the Mestral in Catalan, blows hard from the north-west and can be a nuisance on exposed sections.
Ulldecona has more than six thousand people and all the services you need, from fuel to a decent lunch. Alcanar, a bigger town on the coast, with over ten thousand people, offers more options, and Santa Bárbara is a handy small stop on the way. Bring water for the walk to the shelter, as there is little shade on the final path, and wear boots.