The Vall d'Albaida is the quiet valley south of Xàtiva where the Valencian hinterland starts to climb towards the mountains of Alicante, and Otos, Ráfol de Salem and Bèlgida are tiny villages scattered among its folds. The Barranc de Carbonera is one of the ravines that cut into the limestone slopes, and the shelter in it is part of the Mediterranean Basin rock art group that UNESCO inscribed in 1998. The Peñón de los Machos, another painted rock nearby, is on the same ride. The paintings belong to the Levantine tradition, red figures of people and animals painted on the walls of small overhangs in the cliffs.
The country is classic Valencian highland, a mosaic of terraced fields of olives, almonds and carob, patches of pine and holm oak, and bare ridges where wild thyme and rosemary perfume the air. The Serra del Benicadell rises to the south, a long limestone crest of just over a thousand metres, and the villages at its foot are quiet, whitewashed and cheerful. After rain the ravines fill with the sound of water, and in spring the terraces are full of wildflowers.
For a rider the area is very rewarding. Narrow roads wind among the villages with a good rhythm of bends and short climbs, with little traffic, a fair surface and the occasional hairpin where the road climbs out of a barranc. Summer is hot, and the shady roads under the pines are welcome. The Vall de Gallinera, a little to the south, is famous for its cherry blossom in late winter, which covers the terraces in white, and makes an excellent detour in the right month.
The villages themselves are small, with populations of a few hundred, and while you can usually find a bar, fuel is not guaranteed. Fill up in Albaida or Ontinyent, which are larger, before heading into the hills, and carry water in summer. Spring and autumn are the best times to ride, and the locals will cheerfully send you to a restaurant serving rice dishes cooked over orange wood, which is more than worth the detour.