The Llobregat delta is flat, green and noisy in equal measure. Jets climb out of Barcelona's airport over the sea, the city's port stretches along the coast to the north, and between them lie fields of artichokes, orchards, marshes and pine-backed beaches.
The delta was built by the river over thousands of years, a fertile plain that fed Barcelona for centuries. Two local products are famous: the artichokes of El Prat, sold under their own protected name, and the Prat chicken, a breed with distinctive blue legs that is a Christmas delicacy in Catalonia. In the early 2000s the mouth of the Llobregat was shifted south to make room for the port's expansion, one of the larger engineering projects on this coast.
Nature hangs on in surprising ways. The Delta del Llobregat nature reserves protect marshes, lagoons and pine woods by the beach, with hides where you can watch herons, egrets, waders and other birds, and the area is an important stop on migration routes. The beaches of El Prat are long, open and often almost empty compared with those of the city, with dunes and pines behind them, though the roar of planes is constant.
For riders, the delta is mainly a place to begin and end. The roads are flat and straight, with roundabouts, lorries and airport traffic, and the B-22 and C-31 lead quickly onto the motorways. Head north and west toward the Pyrenees and the N-260, or south along the coast toward Tarragona and the Priorat. Within an hour the delta's flatness is behind you and the first hills begin to climb.
El Prat has fuel, cafes and supermarkets, and the town centre has restaurants serving Catalan food, including the local artichokes in season, which runs roughly from late autumn to spring. Gavà and Viladecans to the south also have every service. Wind can be strong on the open delta, especially in the afternoon when the sea breeze picks up, and the area around the airport is heavily policed, with speed cameras on the main roads. Keep it gentle until you reach the mountains.