The Ports massif rises abruptly at the meeting point of Catalonia, Aragón and Valencia, a tangle of limestone peaks, deep gorges and pine forest that feels surprisingly wild given how close it is to the Ebro delta and the coast. Prop de la Cova Pintada, meaning near the painted cave, sits on its southern side, between Mas de Barberans, Valderrobres and the old city of Tortosa.
The painted shelters of this area belong to the eastern Spanish rock art tradition, small figures of hunters and animals in red and black, painted on rock walls by people who lived from the game in these mountains. Some of the panels around the Ports are well known and visited, others are small and obscure. The whole massif is a protected natural park, home to a thriving population of Iberian ibex that you may well spot on the crags.
The riding here is superb. From Mas de Barberans the road into the Ports climbs through pine and holm oak with tight, technical bends, and the routes connecting Roquetes, Alfara de Carles, Paüls and Horta de Sant Joan cross some of the most dramatic scenery in Catalonia. Horta de Sant Joan is famous because the young Picasso spent time there and later said it was where he learned everything he knew; there is a small centre dedicated to him. On the Aragonese side, Valderrobres has a gorgeous old town with a medieval bridge, castle and church grouped above the Matarraña river. Surfaces range from excellent to rough, and some mountain roads are narrow with sheer drops. Watch out for wild boar at dusk.
Tortosa, about sixteen kilometres away, is the main town with fuel, food and accommodation. It has a fine Gothic cathedral and the Suda castle above the Ebro, and its old quarter tells of Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities. Mas de Barberans is small, with a bar or two. The Ebro delta, a short ride east, is Spain's great rice-growing wetland, flat and full of birds. Spring and autumn are best: summer heat in the valleys is intense, and storms can build quickly over the peaks.