In the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida, the plain of Urgell ends and the land starts folding into dry, golden hills. Artesa de Segre, Camarasa and Cubells are small places along the edge of this country, where the Segre river and the Noguera Pallaresa bring water down from the mountains, and where reservoirs and gorges give the landscape its character. The Camarasa dam, built in the early twentieth century on the Noguera Pallaresa, is a big wall of concrete holding back a long, green-blue lake in a narrow valley.
North of here the Montsec range rises as a wall of pale limestone. The Congost de Mont-rebei, a gorge cut by the Noguera Ribagorçana, is one of the sights of Catalonia, with cliffs over a hundred metres high on both sides of a narrow green channel. A path is cut into the rock and walkers cross it above the water. The country is wild, with griffon vultures soaring over the crags and, at night, some of the clearest skies in Spain, a feature that has made the Montsec a centre for astronomy.
Rock shelters in these hills belong to the same tradition as the better-known paintings at Cogul and elsewhere, part of the UNESCO listing of 1998. They are small, fragile and mostly not signed, so do not go searching on your own. The Cova del Cogulló, famous for its dancing women, is within reach and is the place to see what the painters of this region achieved. Be respectful of local rules and guide arrangements.
The riding is a pleasure. Roads from Artesa through Camarasa and up toward the Montsec offer bends, climbs and gorges, with views over blue water and pale cliffs, and few other vehicles. Surfaces are mostly good, though some narrow roads have rough patches. Summers are hot and winters cold, with fog in the valleys. Agramunt, 14 km from here and with just over 5,000 people, has fuel and shops, and it is famous for its turrón, a nougat made with almonds and honey, which has a protected name. Try a piece with a coffee before you ride on.