Llano sits on a bend of the Llano River in the central Texas Hill Country, where granite and limestone meet, and for a small town it has a surprising amount of stone about it. The courthouse square is built of the local pink granite, the old bridges are stone and iron, and the river itself runs clear and green over great pale boulders. The country around is the Llano Uplift, a dome of ancient Precambrian rock, some of the oldest exposed in Texas, pushed up through the younger limestone, and at nearby Enchanted Rock a huge bald granite dome rises out of the oak and juniper like the back of a buried whale.
The town was founded in the 1850s, and at the end of the century a mining and railway boom brought prospectors hunting for iron and graphite, though the great fortune never quite materialised. A big railway bridge over the river still stands as a ruin, along with an older road bridge, and both are worth a look. The courthouse square is the heart of the place, with its rows of low stone buildings, antique shops and cafes, and Llano has long been known across Texas for its barbecue, which is a serious matter here, cooked over oak and mesquite and served on butcher paper. If you arrive at lunchtime on a weekend, expect a queue and wait with good humour.
For a rider, Llano is the hinge of the Hill Country loop. The roads that leave it, Highway 29 east and west, Highway 16 south toward Fredericksburg, and the farm roads that wander off into the hills, are some of the best in Texas, with long rolling curves, dips, low-water crossings and views over cedar-covered ridges. In spring, the roadsides are carpeted in bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, and in summer the heat is fierce and the afternoon thunderstorms violent. Autumn and early spring are the best seasons. Watch for deer, which are plentiful, and for gravel on the corners.
Llano has several stations, a supermarket, a few motels and plenty of places to eat, so it is a natural stop to fill up, rest and plan the next stretch. Kingsland and Buchanan Dam, near the Highland Lakes, are another handful of kilometres away if you need more. Park near the courthouse square, stroll round, and leave room for the barbecue. In summer, carry plenty of water and avoid riding in the middle of the afternoon.