Montblanc is a walled town that looks almost too perfect, and then you realise it has been looking like this since the fourteenth century. The Conca de Barberà is a basin of vineyards and cereal fields ringed by low mountains, and Montblanc sits at its heart with over a kilometre of medieval walls, towers and gates still standing. The town claims to be the setting for the legend of St George and the dragon, and each April it celebrates the festival of Sant Jordi, with a medieval week of costumes and markets.
The shelter marked here lies a few kilometres out of town, among scrubby hills and dry valleys, in the Abric de Gallicant area. Rock art in Catalonia is less famous than that of Valencia or Aragon, but there are important painted places across the region, and some belong to the same Levantine tradition recognised by UNESCO in 1998. The Cova de les Creus, Cave of the Crosses, tells you something about how later people have used these places, and at many shelters you may see more recent marks beside the prehistoric ones.
The surrounding area is full of history. Two great Cistercian monasteries, Poblet and Santes Creus, lie within easy reach, and together with a third at Vallbona they form the Cistercian Route. Poblet in particular is a large, serene complex of cloisters and royal tombs, and it was declared a World Heritage site in 1991. A visit is an easy addition to a day in the countryside.
The roads here are among the nicest in Catalonia for relaxed riding. They wander between vineyards, almond orchards and small villages, with gentle gradients, good surfaces and little traffic. The Prades mountains rise to the south, and the road toward them gets steeper and twistier. Spring brings flowers and autumn the grape harvest, and both are good seasons.
Montblanc has six and a half thousand people, with fuel, restaurants and shops. Try the calçots, grilled spring onions, in season, or a plate of local sausage and bread.