Few Pyrenean views are as satisfying as the one that opens at a certain bend above the Vero in early morning, when the cold air has cleared and the snow-covered ridge stands up on the northern horizon like a row of white teeth. The shelter named Viñamala III lies four and a half kilometres from Alquézar, on the sunny side of the valley, and is the third in a series that includes Viñamala II nearby. It belongs to the Levantine art of the Spanish Mediterranean, protected by UNESCO since 1998, and sits in the sort of position that the painters seem to have liked: a dry, sheltered ledge with an open outlook.
If you carry a camera, the light is worth thinking about. In the valley, the cliffs face in different directions, so each part of the canyon has its own best hour. East-facing walls glow in the first light, west-facing walls catch the late afternoon, and the bottom of the gorge is in shade for most of the day. The golden hour is brief but intense in a country with dry air, and clouds roll in from the north at unpredictable times. A polarising filter helps with the blue of the sky and the glare on the water.
The road from Barbastro is a good one for a photographic ride, since you can stop at several lay-bys and gateways. It climbs in gentle stages, passes through the village of Alquézar and then enters the narrower part of the valley, where it winds above the river. Be careful with stopping, because the verges are narrow and there are blind bends. Traffic is light, but the road is shared with local farm vehicles, cyclists and the occasional camper van.
Plan your day around the light, and take water if you intend to walk to the shelter. Autumn is the best season for clear air, and spring for flowers, though winter brings the sharpest views of the snow.