The Garrigues is the dry heart of Lleida province, a land of terraced hills, stone walls and endless olive groves, and La Vall de la Coma is one of its quiet valleys, in the municipality of L'Albi. In a few rock shelters here, prehistoric people painted small figures in red, part of the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean basin that is recognized as a World Heritage Site. The paintings are fragile and modest in size, and access is usually organized through local guides or interpretation centres, so plan ahead rather than expecting to wander in.
The landscape around is shaped by centuries of farming in a dry climate. Almond trees blossom pale pink in late winter, and the olive groves produce one of the most famous oils in Spain. The Arbequina olive takes its name from the village of Arbeca, just a few kilometres to the north, and the Garrigues olive oil appellation is renowned for its fruity, green flavour. Dotted across the fields are dry-stone huts, the barraques, built by farmers as shelters and tool stores, some of them remarkably elegant domed structures.
The riding in the Garrigues is a pleasant surprise. Small roads wind between villages through terraced hillsides, with good visibility and very little traffic, and the surface is generally fine. It can be hot in summer, often above thirty-five degrees, so mornings and evenings are best. In spring the green of the young cereals and the white of the almond blossom make the landscape particularly lovely, and in autumn the olive harvest brings tractors and activity to the villages.
For fuel and supplies, head to Les Borges Blanques, the county capital, or to Juneda; Mollerussa, on the plain to the north, is larger. The villages have small bars where you can get a coffee and a sandwich, and many have cooperative mills where you can buy oil directly. L'Albi itself has a castle and a small old town. A good plan is to combine the visit with a meal in Les Borges Blanques and a slow ride through the olive groves, stopping wherever the view opens up across the hills. In the evening the light on the stone walls and silver-green leaves has a warmth that is hard to describe.