A few minutes from the sea but already in the hills, Argentona and Cabrils are two of the pleasantest places on the Maresme. They lie in the folds of the Serralada Litoral, a low ridge of pine and cork oak behind the coast north-east of Barcelona, and their stone houses, old farmhouses and modernist villas speak of a time when wealthy Barcelona families built their summer homes here. The hills catch cooler air than the city, and the smell of pine resin hangs in the warm afternoons.
The Maresme has long been Barcelona's market garden, and the sunny slopes grow flowers, strawberries and vegetables, sold across the region. Argentona, a town of about twelve thousand, has a compact old centre with a church, a fountain and a few cafes, and Cabrils is smaller and quieter. A little further on, tiny Òrrius has barely three hundred people. All of them are good places to stop for a coffee and a pastry in the shade, and the ride between them is a gentle tour of narrow roads and small bridges.
The label talks of the Costa Brava and Tossa de Mar, about fifty kilometres to the north, where the road clings to cliffs above clear coves, and the old walled town of Tossa stands on a headland, with towers and ramparts dating from the twelfth century. After a long day along that coast, this finish in the hills is a calm one. Roads here run in smooth curves among woods and vineyards, with hairpins on the climbs and fast stretches along the ridges. Surfaces are generally good, though cyclists are numerous and gravel sometimes washes onto the bends after storms.
Fuel and food are no trouble. Argentona has stations and a handful of restaurants serving Catalan dishes such as grilled meat with calçots in season and rice with seafood. Mataró is a few minutes away if you need a mechanic. The best seasons are spring and autumn. In summer, forest fires are possible and some tracks may be closed.