The Barranco de Barfaluy is a gorge that looks as though someone had cut it with a ruler. Its walls rise sheer on either side, in places only a few metres apart, and the stream at the bottom winds between rocks and pools. The path through is short but memorable, and the narrowness gives the place a cathedral hush. Barfaluy II, five kilometres from Alquézar, is one of the shelters in the gorge that carry prehistoric paintings, a part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998.
The gorge is small and fragile, and the paintings are close to the walkways, which is why access is regulated. The sense of walking into a narrow place where people came thousands of years ago to leave a mark is very strong.
The gorge lies on the edge of the Sierra de Guara natural park, a country of limestone cliffs, holm oaks and scrubby slopes, with villages that seem to cling to the rock. The roads that reach it are quiet and narrow, climbing out of the Vero valley through terraces of almond and olive, with plenty of bends and some rough surface. A light bike and a relaxed pace suit them. After heavy rain, gravel washes onto the tarmac, and the gorge itself can flood, so check the weather.
Alquézar has only a few hundred inhabitants and a handful of cafés, so plan to fill the tank at Barbastro, about twenty kilometres away, a lively town of around seventeen thousand with a Gothic cathedral and plenty of restaurants. The surrounding Somontano region produces good red and white wines, and the local lamb, roasted with potatoes, is a classic. In the village, the terrace of a bar over the gorge is a fine place for a coffee.
Spring and early autumn are the best seasons. In midsummer the heat in the gorge is trapped by the rock and the afternoon can be oppressive, so start early.