South-west of Valencia the Júcar river has carved a long, winding gorge through the limestone, and the country on either side is some of the most rugged in the region. The Macizo del Caroig, a high limestone massif of pine and scrub, rises to more than eleven hundred metres, and the villages of Millares and Dos Aguas are small places tucked into the valleys at its foot. The Abric del Cinto de la Ventana is a rock shelter in the nearby cliffs, and belongs to the Mediterranean Basin rock art group listed by UNESCO in 1998, the red Levantine paintings painted by prehistoric hunters.
The land is hard and wild. Pines cover the slopes, with outcrops of grey rock, and the ravines hold small streams that flow in spring and run dry in summer. The reservoirs of the Júcar at Cortes de Pallás are close by, turquoise in colour, and their shores are good for a swim in hot weather. Golden eagles and Bonelli's eagles nest on the cliffs, and the nights are loud with owls. The smell in the afternoon is pine resin and rosemary, and the silence is almost complete.
For a motorcyclist the hinterland of Valencia is a splendid area. Roads here are narrow and winding, with a succession of bends climbing out of the Júcar valley and dropping into the ravines on the other side. Traffic is almost nonexistent except at weekends, when cyclists and other motorcyclists come out from Valencia. The surface is usually fair, though patches of rough tarmac and gravel occur on minor roads, and sharp bends can hide behind rock outcrops.
Millares and Dos Aguas are small villages with only a few hundred inhabitants, so do not rely on finding fuel there. Montroy, a larger place, has petrol, and the big towns of Buñol and Chiva are within reach. Carry water in summer, and bring layers for the high ground. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and the locals will direct you to a bar with a plate of rice and rabbit in the traditional style of the interior.