Marina Alta is the part of Alicante that most visitors know from the beach, but behind the coast the landscape rises into limestone ravines that feel closer to Mallorca than to a resort. The Barranc d'en Grau is one of those clefts, in the hills above Villalonga and the upper reaches of the Vall d'Ebo. The painted shelter in the neighbouring ravine is among a number of rock-art sites in the region, sharing the Levantine style with sites farther north: red figures of hunters, animals and symbols that were painted long before any Roman set foot here.
The Vall d'Ebo has a sad and fascinating recent story. In 1609 the Moriscos, descendants of the Muslims who had stayed after the Christian conquest, were expelled from the Kingdom of Valencia, and valleys like this one were emptied almost overnight. Terraces fell into disuse and some villages never really recovered, which explains why such an inland place is still so sparsely settled. The old irrigation walls and dry-stone terraces that climb the hillsides are a quiet reminder.
For a rider, the approach is one of the better short rides in the province. The road climbs from the coastal plain through almond groves and pine, with plenty of bends and some stretches where the guard rails are suspiciously short. Pego, down the valley at eleven thousand people, has fuel and food, and its marshland, a natural park of rice paddies and reed beds, makes a good contrast with the dry mountains above. Villalonga is smaller but does the job for coffee. Vall d'Ebo itself, with only a few hundred people, is a place to look at rather than to refuel in.
The best season is winter and early spring, when the almond blossom turns the valley white and the roads are free of tourist traffic. August is hot and crowded near the coast, and the shelters give almost no shade on the approach. Carry water and a map that does not depend on mobile signal, because reception in the ravines is patchy.