Muntanyes de Prades, forest and red stone above the Camp de Tarragona.

What are the Muntanyes de Prades?

A sierra in the interior of Tarragona, in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range, that rises behind the Camp de Tarragona and separates the coast from the lands of Lleida. It is spread across five districts, the Baix Camp, the Alt Camp, the Conca de Barberà, the Priorat and the Garrigues, and covers a little over 300 km². Its highest point, the Tossal de la Baltasana, is only just over 1,200 metres.

What distinguishes it from the neighbouring ranges is the colour and the vegetation. Up high there are plateaux covered with pine and holm oak woods, with oaks and chestnuts in the dampest areas, and the stone of many villages is a reddish sandstone that gives Prades its nickname of vila vermella, the red town. The Francolí, Brugent, Glorieta and Siurana rivers rise in these mountains. They are included in Catalonia's Plan of Natural Areas of Interest and in the Natura 2000 network, and the Poblet slope is a Natural Site of National Interest. The Generalitat has been processing its declaration as a natural park for years.

How to get there and get around?

By car, which is the practical way. Prades is about 60 minutes from Tarragona or Lleida, about two hours from Barcelona and almost three from Girona, always with a last winding stretch up to the sierra, whether from the Camp de Tarragona via Alcover or La Selva del Camp, or from the Conca de Barberà via Montblanc and l'Espluga de Francolí. Siurana is about 55 minutes from Tarragona, via Cornudella de Montsant.

By train, Rodalies lines R13 and R14 stop at Montblanc and l'Espluga de Francolí, at the foot of the sierra; from l'Espluga station it is about 4 km to Poblet monastery. To go up to the high villages, like Prades, Capafonts or Mont-ral, public transport is scarce and it is wise to have a car.

What is there to see in the Muntanyes de Prades?

In the centre of the sierra, at 950 metres, is Prades: a walled old town of red stone, a square with a fountain shaped like a globe, the Roca Foradada 1.5 km from the village and an astronomical park that works at night, because the sky here is dark. Around it are small villages such as Capafonts, la Febró, Mont-ral, l'Albiol and Vilanova de Prades, with paths through woods and ravines.

On the southern edge, above the Priorat, Siurana is a village of some thirty residents perched on a cliff, with a Romanesque church overlooking the reservoir and climbing walls known all over the world.

On the northern slope, the monastery of Poblet, Cistercian and a World Heritage Site since 1991, is surrounded by the forest of the natural site that bears its name. A few kilometres away, Montblanc preserves a good part of its medieval wall, and in its interpretation centre the sierra's rock art is explained, which is part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art ensemble, also a World Heritage Site.

When is it best to go?

In autumn and spring. October and early November bring the coloured forest and the chestnuts: in Prades the Festa de la Pagesia and the castanyada of Prades Bosc are celebrated. May is a good month for walking, with the ravines running with water. In summer, at 950 metres, the nights are cool and you sleep well, but by day it is hot on exposed routes and there is a fire risk: the Generalitat may restrict access to forest areas according to the Alpha Plan level, so check before you set out. In winter it is truly cold, it can freeze and it sometimes snows in the high parts.

How many days do you need?

Prades can be seen in a morning and Siurana in half of one; Poblet and Montblanc fill another half day. With a weekend you do the essentials: one day for Prades and a woodland route, another for Siurana or for Poblet and Montblanc. If you want the astronomical park, sleep in the sierra. With three days you can add the small villages and a longer trail.

What to know before you go?

The roads that climb to the sierra are narrow and winding: allow more time than the map says. In old towns, like Prades, leave the car outside the wall. Siurana has paid parking. In the cold months, fog is frequent up high: do not go up the Baltasana without visibility. On autumn weekends, book accommodation and a table, because the supply is small and fills up with people from Tarragona and Reus.