Gavilanes means sparrowhawks, and the name fits a shelter high on a limestone face above the dry country where Murcia meets Almería. The Abrigo de los Gavilanes lies in the hills west of Lorca, in an area scattered with painted shelters such as the Collado de la Cruz and Los Grajos, the jackdaws, and it is part of the World Heritage Site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The figures are small, red and schematic, painted by communities who farmed and herded here thousands of years ago.
The country around is the high plateau of the Altiplano, with almond orchards, cereal fields, olive groves and bare limestone ridges. In February the almond blossom turns the hillsides white and pink, and in summer the land bakes under a fierce sun. The light is sharp and the air dry, and the sense of space is enormous.
Lorca, the main town of the area, is a historic city with a great castle, the Fortaleza del Sol, on a hill above the old town, and baroque churches and palaces. It is famous for its Holy Week processions, when rival brotherhoods, the Blues and the Whites, compete to produce the most spectacular parades, with horses, chariots and costumes. In 2011 an earthquake damaged many buildings, and the restoration has been a long effort.
The riding here is a mix of straight plateau roads and winding mountain routes. The roads between Lorca, Vélez-Rubio and the villages of the area are quiet and scenic, and further north, the Sierra de Espuña and the mountains of north-western Murcia offer more curves. Summer heat is a serious consideration, so ride early and late, and carry water.
Vélez-Rubio, nineteen kilometres away, is the closer fuel stop, and Lorca has everything from workshops to tapas bars. Murcian tapas are a cult of their own: try a marinera, a breadstick ring topped with Russian salad and an anchovy, with a cold caña. Then climb to the castle for sunset over the plain.