Bocairent is a strange and beautiful town, and the hills around it are among the lesser-known gems of Valencian inland. It sits on a rocky spur above a gorge, with a medieval quarter of steep, narrow streets and a baroque church, and in the cliffs below the town are cave dwellings called the Covetes dels Moros, hollows cut into the rock that have been used as homes, storehouses and shelters for centuries. Beyond the town, in the Serra de Mariola, there are also old stone ice-houses, the neveres, in which snow was packed in winter and sold in summer. The Barranc d'Alpadull lies only three and a half kilometres away.
The Serra de Mariola is a natural park known for its aromatic and medicinal plants, and walkers come to gather thyme, rosemary, sage and lavender, or to follow trails through holm oak and pine to springs. The air has a clean, herbal smell, particularly after rain, and in spring the slopes are full of flowers. Wildlife includes foxes, wild boar and a good population of birds of prey.
Roads in the district are enjoyable. They climb out of the Vall d'Albaida through terraced slopes, wind past old farms and cross the saddles of the sierra, with bends that are neither too tight nor too fast. Surface is generally good, traffic is light apart from weekends, and the views of the Mariola are splendid. Autumn is lovely, with golden light and cool air. Winter can be cold and misty, and summer afternoons are hot.
Ontinyent, six kilometres away and with nearly thirty-eight thousand people, is the nearest large town and has all the fuel and services you need, as well as a long tradition of wool and textile production. Alfafara and Agres are villages with a bar or two. Take water for any walk to the shelter, and respect the paintings.