Inland from the Costa Daurada, behind the beach towns of El Vendrell and Calafell, the land rises into the low hills of the Baix Penedès, a landscape of vineyards, almond and olive groves, pine woods and small villages. The Cova de Vallmajor, near Albinyana and Bonastre, is a rock shelter in these hills with prehistoric paintings, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean that is recognised as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are faint and the shelter is protected, so visits are usually by arrangement.
The Penedès is wine country, famous above all for cava, the Catalan sparkling wine, whose capital is Sant Sadurní d'Anoia to the north. The Baix Penedès produces still wines too, and many cellars offer tastings. El Vendrell, five kilometres away, was the birthplace of the cellist Pau Casals, and his house on the beach at Sant Salvador is now a museum. A few kilometres west, at Roda de Barà, the Roman triumphal arch of Berà stands beside the old Via Augusta, a reminder that this coast was part of the Roman province around Tarraco.
The riding in the hills behind the coast is pleasant and quiet. Small roads wind through the vineyards and over the hills, with views to the sea, and traffic is light compared with the busy coastal roads. Further inland, the mountains of the Serra de Montmell and the Alt Camp offer more winding roads. Summer is hot and the coast is crowded, so spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild weather and the colours of the vineyards changing.
El Vendrell, a town of thirty-five thousand, has fuel, shops and restaurants. Bonastre and Albinyana are small villages with a bar or two. The local cuisine includes calçots in late winter, grilled spring onions dipped in romesco sauce, a Catalan tradition celebrated in large outdoor feasts, and xató, a salad with salt cod and a romesco-like sauce, typical of this part of the coast. A glass of local wine after the riding is done is well deserved. The light in the hills in the late afternoon, falling across the vines, is beautiful.