Montserrat on horseback: the mountain from below and then from inside.

Almost everyone sees Montserrat from the monastery square. This day starts outside, on the north face of the mountain, where the village of Marganell is: a morning on horseback in a western saddle along the paths of the natural park, a charcoal-grilled lunch in a village house and, in the afternoon, the rack railway up to the sanctuary when the groups have already left. You need a car, and the order matters: the horse in the morning, because that is when the rides go out, and the monastery last thing, when there are fewer people.

The day, hour by hour

10:15 · Set off. From Barcelona, the C-16 to exit 41 and the Marganell road: about 50 minutes to the ranch. From Manresa it is 20.

11:00 · Horse riding with Natural Hipic. The ranch is on the BV-1122 road, on the outskirts of Castellbell i el Vilar, with a stone chapel beside the meadows and the pinnacles of Montserrat in front. It is a western riding and natural horsemanship centre: you ride in a cowboy saddle and follow the guide at a walk along the foot of the mountain, in groups of one to four people. They have horses for beginners and ponies for children. The rides go out Tuesday to Sunday in the morning and are charged by the hour: the website published €30 an hour in 2020, and today's price is given when you book on WhatsApp, on 609 43 80 80. For this plan, an hour or an hour and a half is fine.

13:00 · Lunch at Cal Jaume. Five minutes by car, in Marganell. It is a family eatery in a building more than 400 years old, with vaulted stone rooms and views of the mountain. Catalan cooking: rice dishes, meat and fish grilled over holm-oak charcoal, stews and, for dessert, Montserrat mató. From Tuesday to Friday on working days there is a set menu for €18.50. It serves lunch from 13:00 to 15:30 and asks you to book by phone, on 93 835 71 50.

15:55 · The rack railway from Monistrol Vila. A quarter of an hour by car to Monistrol Vila station, which has free parking. The rack railway takes about 15 minutes to climb to the sanctuary and costs €15 return, €7.50 for ages 4 to 13. On working days in November, low season for Turistren, it leaves Monistrol Vila at a quarter past and five to the hour; at weekends in November and December, until three, also at :35. The 15:55 runs every day.

16:15 · The Els Degotalls path. As soon as you arrive, before the light goes: 3.2 km there and back, about 50 minutes almost flat under the dripping walls, with plaques to Verdaguer, Maragall or Pompeu Fabra. It leaves the complex by the Monistrol road, past the Mirador dels Apòstols.

17:15 · The basilica and the Moreneta. The basilica is open until 20:00 and the Virgin's throne can be climbed to until 18:25. At this hour the sanctuary is quiet. There is a tourist ticket for the atrium, the basilica and the camarín; residents of Spain and the European Union travelling independently do not pay, but book on the abbey's website.

18:15 · Head home. On weekdays, in November, the 18:15 is the last rack railway down from the monastery. At weekends in November and December there are trains until 19:15. Below, your car is waiting.

Where and what to eat

Cal Jaume is this plan's table because it is five minutes from the ranch and opens Tuesday to Sunday, the same days the horses go out. Order something from the grill or a rice dish, and the mató, which is from Can Florí. If you prefer a grill house, Can Ferreroles Nou is on the same road, on the other side of the ranch: it opens Wednesday to Sunday, has a €16 menu on working days and, from January to Easter, calçotada to order. Up at the sanctuary, there is only time for a coffee.

With children and teenagers

With small children, ask for a pony when booking and give their age: the website does not set a minimum. Teenagers are the best audience for western riding, which is done with one hand and has a bit of a cowboy film about it; afterwards, the rack railway and the Els Degotalls path tire them little. If they have energy to spare, swap the basilica for the stretch of the Camino de las Ermitas to the Sant Miquel viewpoint.