Somewhere in the mountains south of Valencia there is a cave named for a spider, and it holds one of the most famous paintings of prehistoric Europe. The Cueva de la Araña, in the village of Bicorp, shows a figure climbing a rope or ladder of plant fibre on a cliff face, apparently collecting honey from a wild bees' nest, with bees flying around. It is a small, lively picture, thought to be several thousand years old, and it has become an emblem of the Levantine rock art tradition that UNESCO listed in 1998. The shelters nearby, among them the Barranco Garrofero, belong to the same landscape and tradition, and you should treat them as protected and fragile places.
This is rugged, rarely visited country. Bicorp, Quesa and Navarrés are small villages with fewer than three thousand people between them, set among the foothills of the Sierra de Martés and the Muela de Cortes, a limestone plateau cut by deep ravines and the green gorge of the Júcar river. The vegetation is scrubby Mediterranean forest of pine, kermes oak, rosemary and thyme, and carob trees, garrofero in Valencian, grow on the terraced slopes, which explains the name of the ravine. Griffon vultures circle on the thermals, and wild boar and mountain goats live in the hills.
The riding is delightful, with narrow, twisting roads that climb and fall, some with tight bends and rough patches, and few other vehicles. Rain can cause rockfalls, and summer heat is intense. Take plenty of water and keep the tank full, since services are scarce. Ayora, about 21 km away, is the nearest town of 5,000 people, and Navarrés has a few shops and fuel.
Local food reflects the interior: rice cooked with rabbit and snails, gazpachos with game, and honey from the wild thyme of the hills, which seems the right treat given the painting. Spring is best, when the hills are green and flowers are out, and autumn is also pleasant. Always ask permission before going onto farmland, close gates behind you, and respect any signs near rock art sites.