(This is Travel, 2006)

The arrivals lounge at Reus airport, an hour south of Barcelona, is filled with Brit holidaymakers mostly headed for the same places.

A few will have snagged a cheap flight and will make their own way to the Catalan capital, but mostly the throngs will be staying around Europe's biggest theme park at Port Aventura, or they will be heading to the Anglo-friendly coast at Salou.

It's a shame. Although not a well known part of Spain, a trip inland into rural Catalonia opens up a wealth of undiscovered countryside.

While the masses are bingeing on alcopops and chips in the Rose and Crown, those with a nose to discover the real Catalonia can find mountains, wine regions and more rural splendour than you can shake a pub grub menu at.

Unfortunately, Reus itself has become more or less just a place for those in transit. Away from the airport is a fine example of a Catalan town. As the capital of the Baix Camp (low country) district of the province of Tarragona, Reus has a proud history, steeped in wine and spirit production, and once a place of great importance and affluence.

Barcelona may have claimed the visionary architect Antoni Gaudi, but it is said (though no-one knows for sure) that he was born here. There are rare examples of his early work dotted around the narrow streets, as well as houses and monuments designed by those he influenced.

Maze-like cobbled streets lead out into quaint squares and before I got too lost, I sat down for some tapas at La Ferreteria. It is an old ironmongers that has been converted into a fashionable bar and the tools of the trade hang off the high walls over the laid-back patrons.

Whereas in Barcelona the Catalan culture seems to confront the rest of Spain head-on, here the Catalans are relaxed in their own country (sorry, 'autonomous region') and there's a reassuring lack of separatist graffiti.

Next stop: the sticks. A short drive north, the road sandwiched between fields of hazlenuts and olives, and I'm in the village of Alcover at the base of the Prades Mountains. It has clean air, charming architecture and a thousand-year-old church, and more importantly no pubs showing old episodes of Only Fools and Horses.

It's no wonder that my host, Elaine McParland, has made the place her home. As the name might suggest, she's not Catalan, but has lived in the region for about 15 years. With partner Ron, she runs EireScot Catalan Connexions - essentially a showcase of the most amazing rural accommodation this part of the world has to offer.

Elaine shows me to a well-appointed pension, disappointingly just seconds away from the local bar, and from the terrace it seems like the entire province is laid out before you.

Wandering down into the village proper is almost a full retreat from the modern world, with pleasingly crumbling walls, lazy-sounding church bells and just a couple of locals sat around the square, sipping from their medianas. Just 20 minutes from Salou, it might as well be on a different continent.

A full day's exploration lay ahead the next morning and after wolfing down a ham and cheese sandwich from the panaderia, I headed for the hills. There are two roads leading up to the nearest peaks of Mont-Ral and l'Abiol, both snaking slowly up the Prades and showing off the scenery that attracts mountain bikers, hikers and climbers.

What looks like a model village awaits at the top of Mont-Ral. There may only be about three people living there, but remember this is Spain, so there's a beautiful Romanesque church, of course.

On the way back, I stop off to see one of Elaine's recommendations - Mas la Trampa, a restored 17th century farmhouse in La Selva de Campa. Now a bijoux rural hotel - Casa Rural - it has been lovingly remodelled with a breathtaking eye for detail by the owner, Pablo.

The rooms are individually decorated in bright, airy colours and it feels like a luxurious family home. A diamond hidden in the fields, it's about a third of the price of a nondescript city hotel and three times as gorgeous.

The next morning I headed into the less mountainous countryside out towards the west of Alcover. The road leads through the town of Valls, another historic centre famous for its striking 'castells' - strange human towers that are exhibited at Catalan festivals - as well as its 14th century church, admittedly a relative newcomer in this part of the world.

The road continues out into the inviting landscape to Santes Creus - another sight typical of this part of Catalonia. Essentially it's a small village that has grown up around the huge monestary that has been there since around 1160.

Although sacked in 1835, it has been restored and now houses a museum that tells of the Cistercian monks that live there, as well as local produce shops, a couple of cafes and - hard to believe, I know - a church. It's a popular day trip for local Catalans and there are several similar sites across the region.

Back through the Alt Camp (high country) region towards Valls, I call in at another kind of rural retreat that offers quality, affordable accommodation - an independent house called la Masoveria del Bosc (the farmworker's house in the woods).

Originally housing the estate workers, it is now three colourful, comfortable apartments sleeping up to eight people, a self-catering escape that's nicely secluded but close enough to the town to not feel isolated. With all mod cons, a swimming pool and 12 hectares to laze about in, it's an ideal base for a family or activity break.

I'm back in Alcover as the sun sets, the oranges and reds bouncing off the sandstone of the houses. I'm just in time for a glass of locally produced cava in the quiet square, and a chance to savour the peacefulness of village life.

As the agricultural industry slowly declines in this part of Spain - the younger people heading for the cities instead of taking up the farms - more and more properties have looked to tourists to sustain them. At the moment, staying here is cheap and the choice of quality accommodation is impressive. With help from the Spanish and local governments, the hope is that the area will become the new Tuscany.

This seems a way off just yet, but there's no doubt that rural Catalonia has a charm and character all of its own, and taking the right turn out of Reus airport opens up a world that the kebabs and pints-of-bitter crowds in Salou will probably never know even exists.

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