Alquézar is a village built on a rock above a canyon, and every part of that sentence matters. The Vero river has cut a deep, narrow gorge through the limestone of the Sierra de Guara, and the village sits on a ridge above it, its yellow-brown houses climbing toward a hilltop collegiate church. That church, Santa María la Mayor, stands on the site of a Moorish fortress, which was taken by the Christian king Sancho Ramírez in the eleventh century, and the town grew in the shadow of its walls.
Today Alquézar has fewer than four hundred permanent residents but is one of the best-known destinations for outdoor sports in Spain. The Sierra de Guara is famous for canyoning, and groups in wetsuits are a common sight. Walkways, the Pasarelas del Vero, hang from the cliffs along the river below the village. The wider region is the Parque Cultural del Río Vero, which preserves rock shelters with prehistoric paintings. Griffon vultures sail along the cliff, and the area is also home to the rare bearded vulture, which is easier to spot if you are patient and have good eyes.
The ride to Alquézar from the Barbastro side crosses a gently rolling landscape of almond, olive and cereal fields, with the pale wall of the sierra rising ahead. Barbastro is the capital of the Somontano wine region, so the farmland is dotted with vines. The local road narrows as it approaches the village, with some bends and a short, steep approach, and the surface is a little rough in places. Parking in the village itself is limited, and in summer the lots outside the centre fill early. Spring and autumn bring the best light and temperatures, since July and August can be hot in the gorge country.
The practical help is on a village scale: a handful of bars, a few restaurants and guesthouses, and shops that cater for walkers and canyoners. Barbastro, about seventeen kilometres away, is the town to rely on for fuel and larger supplies. Walk down to the viewpoint over the gorge before you leave, as the old streets, arches and little squares hold the heat of the day and make a fine place to cool down with a drink.