Jumilla is wine country, and you know it as soon as you arrive. The town sits in the north of the Murcia region, surrounded by a high, dry plateau of vineyards growing the Monastrell grape, which produces powerful, dark red wines. A castle tops the hill above the old town, and the bodegas on its outskirts welcome visitors. The Abrigo del Canto Blanco, the shelter of the white stone, lies in the hills about five kilometres away.
The Murcia region has many painted shelters, part of the UNESCO-listed Mediterranean rock art group. Around Jumilla, the sites include both Levantine and schematic paintings, and the area was evidently used by prehistoric communities who hunted in the mountains and later farmed the valleys. The shelters are small and protected; to see them, ask at the town's tourist office or museum, which can also tell you about the Iberian and Roman remains found in the area.
The riding around Jumilla is a mix of open plateau and mountain. The roads across the vineyards are long and gently curving, with wide views and little traffic, while the climbs into the Sierra del Carche or toward Yecla and the Sierra de la Pila are twistier and more fun. The Carche, a regional park, rises to over thirteen hundred metres and has roads that wind through pine forest. The surfaces are generally good on main roads, with gravel and patches on smaller ones. Summer heat is intense; spring and autumn are much more pleasant.
Jumilla has fuel, food and accommodation. The local cuisine is hearty: gazpacho jumillano, a stew of game and flatbread, and the region's famous wines. Many bodegas offer tastings, though obviously not for the rider. The town's Holy Week processions are well known, and in August the town holds a wine harvest festival with a wine battle. The castle, open to visitors, offers fine views over the plateau, and the Santa Ana monastery on the outskirts has been home to Franciscan friars for centuries.