The Cortes de Pallás area, in the interior of Valencia province, is one of the wildest places within an hour or two of the coast. The Júcar river has carved a deep canyon through the limestone, and the Muela de Cortes, a high plateau of rock and scrub, rises above it. Bicorp, Quesa and Millares are small villages on its edge, and the roads that link them are some of the twistiest in the region, with sections that cling to the sides of the gorge and open on huge views. Griffon vultures and golden eagles use the cliffs, and the pine woods are home to wild boar and roe deer.
The Espolón del Zapatero, the Shoemaker's Spur, is a rocky outcrop, and the shelter that carries its name belongs to the same family of Levantine rock art as the nearby sites. Small painted figures of animals and people decorate overhangs in these ravines, and the whole group is part of the UNESCO listing for Mediterranean rock art of 1998. Most shelters are fragile, and access is regulated, so ask at the local town halls or the regional heritage office before you go. Do not expect signs.
In the area, the great engineering fact is the reservoirs. The Júcar has been dammed for hydroelectric power, and the lakes, such as the Embalse de Cortes, give the country an unexpected green-blue colour among the dry hills. A road along the water gives views over the lake, and in summer people swim and kayak. The canyon was the scene of a huge flood in 1982, when the Tous dam failed downstream, which is still remembered in the Ribera region.
For fuel and supplies, plan ahead. Carlet, a town of about 15,000 people 23 km away, is the nearest place of any size in the data, and Millares and the villages have little. Riding is slow and rewarding, with bends and climbs, and the surface is patchy in places. Spring and autumn are best, as summers are hot. A meal of rice with rabbit and snails, or a local olla with sausage, and a glass of Valencian wine make a hearty lunch in one of the village bars.