Every season has its own character in the Vero valley, and the riding is better in some than in others. In spring the almond blossom comes first, then the oak leaves open, and the hills turn the fresh green that makes the cliffs look more orange by contrast. The river is full from snowmelt in the Pyrenees, and the air smells of wet earth and rosemary. This is the best season, and Litonares E3, three kilometres from Alquézar, is a pleasant place to walk to in the morning light.
Summer is hot. By July the valley is dry and yellow, and temperatures regularly pass thirty-five degrees in the afternoon, which makes a motorbike jacket an effort. Cicadas whine in the pines, and the river drops to a trickle in places, though the pools remain cool enough for swimming. The shelters give some shade, which may be one reason people chose them, and you will understand it if you sit in one at midday. The painted shelter here is part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998.
Autumn, from late September to November, is mellow, with soft light, the smell of new olive oil and woodsmoke in the villages, and the colours of oak and wild cherry turning bronze. Mist lies in the valley in the early mornings. In winter, the nights are cold, and frost can lie in the gorge in the shade, so black ice is a real risk on north-facing bends, while on the sunny side the days can be bright and mild.
The roads are narrow and winding near the village, and wider and faster toward Barbastro, which is also the place for fuel, about twenty kilometres from Alquézar. In the village you will find coffee, tapas and simple meals, and the Somontano wines are a fair match for the lamb. Weekdays outside July and August are far quieter than weekends.
My advice is to come in the second half of April or in October, when the weather is kind and the valley is at its best.