The Sierra de Guara is the canyoning capital of Europe, or near enough, and Mallata II sits in country that owes its character to the water that carved it. The limestone and conglomerate of the range has been cut by streams into narrow gorges, with pools, waterfalls and polished rock, and each summer the roads of Alquézar and Rodellar fill with vans carrying wetsuits and ropes. Mallata II lies about four and a half kilometres from Alquézar, in the same landscape of cliffs and overhangs.
Overhangs are the key to the story. Out of the rain, with a ledge to sit on and a view over the valley, they were the obvious shelters for people who lived on the move thousands of years ago, and a number of them were painted. The shelters of the Vero valley, which UNESCO included in its Mediterranean Basin rock art listing in 1998, are small and delicate.
Riding in the area is a pleasure, especially if you like roads that go somewhere slowly. The lanes around Alquézar climb and fall between stone walls, almond groves and oak scrub, with bends that tighten in the gorges and views of the pale cliffs. The surface is generally fair, with some rough patches and gravel on the verges, and a sudden stream crossing is possible after storms. Traffic is light on weekdays, but on summer weekends canyoning minibuses and cyclists make it busier.
Alquézar has a few hundred inhabitants and is too small for reliable fuel, so use Barbastro, a town of seventeen thousand about twenty kilometres away, with supermarkets, restaurants and the cathedral. A good local lunch is the lamb of Aragon, which has its own protected status, with roast potatoes and a glass of Somontano red. The village itself has cafés on the arcaded square.
Summer is hot and best avoided in the afternoon. Spring and early autumn, when the water is cool and the cliffs are warm in the sun, are the best seasons. Take care on gravel and do not leave the track, as the vegetation is thin and fragile.