The Priorate is not a gentle area, and not all of its hiking trails are signposted, but the GR (Gran Ruta) markings are always reliable. But the people from the Montsant natural park do an excellent good job and have developed and signposted a whole lot of new hiking routes. However, all those of you who are nonetheless inclined to hike off-road should, please remember that the deep valleys, although mostly dry, are full of brambles and virtually impassable. Sometimes there are simply no roads or trails at all, and bringing along a compass is a good idea, but this is the country where the eagles and ravens, wild boars and foxes, partridges and bats roam. There really isn’t much danger of getting lost – the area is easy to survey, but hard to “conquer”. There are villages in lofty heights, right next to vertical walls where venturesome climbers try their luck; there are high plateaus and canyons;  red, yellow, gray and even skin-coloured rocks; almond trees and olive groves; small romantic rivulets which can turn into torrential furies in the winter; fragrant pine forests and bamboo thickets; and all in all a lot to see and discover. Way too much for a single summer, as we have found. We have been vacationing in Torroja for more than thirty years now and are still discovering something new in the Priorate every year. One time it was some small, hidden lead mines and abandoned narrow-gauge railways turned into hiking trails, together with countless tunnels and cute little railway stations. Another time it was “new” villages we had never visited before, which turned out to be bona fide architectural miracles; other times it was hikes in the mountains which made us feel like we were in the Alps, but with the Ebro Delta right within reach. We remember winters where we had 5 inches of snow, for up to three days in a row. These are the years when nature is especially bountiful during the spring. Around Prades, there are meadows upon meadows full of orchids, and mushrooms everywhere in fall. We can’t wait for next year…