It is a curious thing, but the shelters of the Vero valley are mostly found not in the canyon itself but on its upper edges, on the open hillside above the cliffs, where the early painters could look across a wide landscape. Lecina Superior, the upper Lecina, lies five kilometres from Alquézar on such a slope, and its name implies a lower twin. The paintings there belong to the Levantine rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998, and the habit of having a view seems to run through the whole tradition.
Farther west the Sierra de Guara has its own legend, the Salto de Roldán, a narrow gap in the cliffs near Nueno where the knight Roland, pursued by Moors, is said to have leapt across the chasm on his horse. The tale belongs to the cycle of stories that grew up after the defeat of Charlemagne's rearguard in the Pyrenees in 778, and which gave rise to the Song of Roland, an epic poem of the eleventh century. In reality the battle took place at Roncesvalles, and the enemy were Basques rather than Moors, but legends do not bother with such details. The rock is worth a visit if you are riding toward Huesca.
Riding from Alquézar toward Colungo along the Vero is the best of this district. The valley narrows, the walls climb, and the road squeezes between rock and river in a series of short bends and little rises. It is not a high-speed road, but its rhythm is quite hypnotic, and you will find yourself slowing down to look at the cliffs. Griffon vultures soar above, and swifts scream around the crags. In the afternoon the sun lights the western wall and turns the stone a rich honey colour.
Fuel is a long way off, and Barbastro is twenty-two kilometres from the shelter. It would be wise to fill the tank there and to carry some food and water, since the valley villages have few shops. A lunch in Alquézar, with its views of the canyon, is a pleasant stop, and you can walk down to the river on the paths below the town. Be ready for sudden storms in summer afternoons.