Bicorp is a village of just over six hundred people in the dry, broken country where the Valencian interior folds into the gorges of the Júcar and the Cabriel, and the Balsa Calicanto shelter lies about four kilometres from it. Rock art is at home here. In the same municipality, the Cueva de la Araña, the Spider Cave, holds one of the best-known scenes in Spanish prehistoric painting: a small figure climbing what look like ropes or vines to raid a wild bees' nest, honey bag in hand. It was painted by hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago, and it is part of the UNESCO-listed Levantine rock art. Many of the other shelters nearby are more modest, and Calicanto is one of those.
The landscape is rugged, with limestone cliffs and ravines, pine forest on the slopes, wild thyme and rosemary, and little cultivation except in the valley floors. The Hoces del Cabriel natural park lies not far to the west, with dramatic river gorges, and the Júcar's canyon cuts through the district too. Bee-keeping is still done here, and the honey is excellent, with thyme and rosemary flavours.
For riding, this is a rewarding, remote area. The roads are narrow and winding, with short climbs and drops between villages, and the occasional view over a gorge. Surfaces vary from smooth to rough, and the quietest lanes can have gravel and sections of broken tarmac. There is almost no traffic, but there are blind corners, so take care. Spring and autumn are best, as summers are hot and the winter nights are cold at this height.
You will not find fuel in Bicorp or in Quesa, a little farther away. Navarrés, with nearly three thousand people, about thirteen kilometres off, has the nearest services, and Enguera, a bit larger, is another good bet. Carry water, check the weather before heading into the ravines, and expect the final approach to the shelter to be on foot, on a path that may be rocky and steep.