Head south-west from Xàtiva along the old road to Castile and you climb gently into a corridor between two mountain ranges, the Serra Grossa on one side and the Serra de Enguera on the other. The town of Moixent sits where the corridor narrows, with Vallada just downstream and the vineyards of Fontanars dels Alforins on the plateau beyond. The Abric de Gontran lies in the hills just outside Moixent.
The painted shelters of the area belong to the Levantine and schematic traditions listed by UNESCO, and they show how important this pass was even in prehistory, as a route between the coast and the interior. The shelters are small, protected and often require a guide to visit. They are part of a dense archaeological landscape that also includes Iberian settlements and Roman roads.
A few kilometres downstream, above the village of Montesa, stand the ruins of the castle that gave its name to the Order of Montesa, a military order founded in 1317 by the King of Aragon after the dissolution of the Templars, to defend the kingdom of Valencia. The castle was the order's headquarters until it was wrecked by an earthquake in 1748, and its ruins still crown the hill above the village. The village of Vallada, between Moixent and Montesa, has a pleasant old centre and a reputation for its pottery.
The riding is best off the main road. The A-35 motorway and the old N-430 carry most of the traffic through the corridor, but the roads that climb into the hills on either side, toward Enguera and the Caroig massif to the north or toward Fontanars and the Alforins plateau to the south, offer twisting roads with little traffic. The road from Moixent to Fontanars climbs through pine forest onto the plateau, with views back over the corridor. Watch out for the wind that funnels through the pass.
Moixent has fuel and food, and Ontinyent, about thirteen kilometres away, is the nearest larger town. The wineries of the Alforins plateau produce good reds. Local food includes the rice dishes of the area. Spring and autumn are the best seasons.