Moratalla is a big, rough municipality, with a rugged interior of pine ridges, rocky gullies and scattered hamlets, and Andragulla is one of those hamlets, twelve kilometres from the town. The shelters are in the folds of the hills south of the village. The surrounding country is one of the least known parts of Murcia, and it is a joy for a rider who likes silence, because the roads are narrow, winding and almost deserted.
Think of the ride as a series of small climbs and drops, with long views across the ranges and the bends tight enough to keep you busy. Surfaces vary from smooth to patchy, and the odd stretch is unpaved, so a bike with a little ground clearance is an advantage. In summer the heat is severe and the pines smell of resin, in winter there can be snow on the higher ground. Autumn is the sweet spot, with clear air and the first rain bringing out the smell of the earth.
Moratalla has the fuel, along with a handful of bars and shops. Caravaca de la Cruz, sixteen kilometres away and with about twenty-six thousand people, is a much bigger town and a place of pilgrimage. Its castle-sanctuary holds the Vera Cruz, a relic believed to contain a fragment of the True Cross, and every year in early May the town holds the Festival of the Wine Horses, in which teams of decorated horses race up the hill to the castle, a tradition now on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage. If you are passing in that week, book rooms early.
The shelters here belong to the same rock-art tradition as the others in Moratalla. Many are small, some are on private land, and several are fenced, so ask in Moratalla about access before setting out on foot. Take plenty of water and a hat, and keep off any painted surfaces. You may share a stretch of track with a flock of sheep.