They are old fishing and seafaring villages strung along the railway line, with tall townhouses, a stony beach and market gardens in the hills behind, and this is where the ride begins and ends. Sailors from here took part in the Atlantic trade in past centuries, and some of the houses were built with money brought home from Cuba.
Priorat is another world, well over a hundred kilometres to the southwest, a small mountain region of steep terraced vineyards, slate slopes and tiny villages. The wine has become famous, with deep, mineral reds made from old Garnacha and Carignan vines grown in a soil of dark, flaky slate called llicorella, and the area has the highest classification in Spanish wine. The vines are planted on slopes so steep that they are worked by hand, and yields are tiny, which is why the bottles are expensive. Carthusian monks founded the monastery of Scala Dei here in the twelfth century, and the name of the region comes from the priory.
The road in Priorat is a pleasure for riders. It winds in tight bends between the villages, with views of terraces and the rocky ridge of Montsant, and it climbs to Siurana, a village on a cliff top with a medieval castle ruin and a reservoir below. Traffic is light. The surface is mostly good, but narrow in places, and farm vehicles and cyclists are common in harvest time. Autumn, in September and October, when the vines turn red and gold, is the most beautiful season, while summer is hot and dry.
Back on the coast, fuel and food are easy, with stations at Vilassar and Premià and plenty of cafes and fish restaurants by the beach. In Priorat, Falset is the main town, with stations and shops, and the villages beyond are small, so fill the tank there before climbing.
Pack a light layer for the mountains, where it is cooler, and take care with tasting, as most cellars welcome visitors but riding does not mix with wine.