Between the villages of Vall d'Ebo and Adsubia the land buckles into narrow gorges, and Barranc de Beniali takes its name from a village a short way to the north, Benialí, which gives its name to the valley that cuts through the hills there. Abric IV is the fourth numbered shelter in the series that archaeologists have catalogued along this ravine, five or six kilometres from Villalonga and not much farther from Vall d'Ebo. As with most rock-art sites in the region, the paintings are small, red or black, and rely on a reader who has the patience to look closely.
The valley is the thing to ride. The Vall de Gallinera, the next valley to the west, is known for its cherry orchards, which bloom in a white wave at the end of winter, so a ride in the second half of February or early March gives you a flowering landscape in a country where most people think only of beaches. A string of small villages lines the road. The Moors lived here until the early seventeenth century, when the Spanish crown expelled the Moriscos, as the Muslims who had converted were called, and whole valleys here were suddenly emptied. Settlers from elsewhere were brought in to take over the fields and the terraces.
The riding itself is a series of tight, narrow, well-maintained mountain roads, with frequent hairpins, short straights, and a strong chance of finding a goat on the tarmac. In summer it is hot, in winter it is gentle, and in autumn the air has the smell of damp earth and cut almond branches. Scooters, bicycles and campervans all use these roads, so expect slow traffic on weekends.
Fuel is not available in the hills. Villalonga, close by, has around four thousand people and probably offers a pump and a baker, but for dependable fuel and a proper lunch you should head for Pego, nine kilometres away, a town of eleven thousand at the foot of the mountains and next to a huge wetland full of rice paddies and waterbirds. Carry water and wear walking shoes if you plan to climb to the shelter, because the slopes are stony.