The Somontano, the land at the foot of the mountains, is the soft belt of the Huesca province, where the high Pyrenees give way to rolling hills of vines, almonds and olives, and the Sierra de Guara rises like a wall to the north. Muriecho is a hamlet in that country, and the shelter that carries its name, Muriecho L, lies about five kilometres from Alquézar. It holds painting in the Levantine style, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain, and the ride links it with El Remosillo and Mascún V, other shelters in the canyons of the Guara.
The Guara is superb wildlife country. It is one of the best places in Spain for vultures, and griffon vultures drift over the canyons in numbers, often at eye level from the road, along with rarer species such as the bearded vulture, the lammergeier, reintroduced to the Pyrenees. The limestone is cut into sheer gorges by the Vero, the Alcanadre and their tributaries, and the walls are warm and golden in the late afternoon.
For riders, the combination of valley and mountain is excellent. Roads from Barbastro climb through vineyards and olive groves into the foothills, with long, easy bends that tighten as they enter the canyons, and views that open without warning over a gorge. Surfaces are generally good, but narrow, and some of the minor roads are patched with gravel or rough in places. Traffic is light, though weekend canyoners and walkers can crowd the car parks in summer. The best times are spring, with green hills and clear air, and early autumn, when the vines turn red.
Alquézar, with just over three hundred people, is a popular tourist village and has bars and a couple of small shops, but the nearest sizeable town is Barbastro, about twenty kilometres away, with nearly seventeen thousand people and fuel in plenty. Barbastro is also the capital of the Somontano wine region, and a glass of the local red or a plate of ternasco, the regional lamb, is a good reward for a day in the saddle. Bring water, since the hills are dry and hot in summer.