From the high villages of the Marina Alta, the road drops to the plain of Pego, and the contrast is startling. Instead of terraces and rock, you find a flat, green country of rice paddies and orange groves, with the Marjal de Pego-Oliva, a protected wetland, in the middle. Reeds, pools and channels attract herons, ducks, and in winter, great numbers of migrating birds. Rice has been grown here for centuries, and the local rice dishes, cooked in paella pans over a flame, are among the best on the coast. The town of Pego, with about eleven thousand people, is the market town of the district and has fuel and good places to eat.
Abric IV at Barranc de Famorca lies about two kilometres from Castell de Castells, high above, and carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. The ride links it with Pinós, a site in the same mountains. It is the sort of place you reach after a long climb through almond terraces and pine woods, with the sea left far behind.
The road between the two worlds is a joy for riders. From Pego, it climbs in long, rising bends through the foothills, passes villages of white houses, and then enters the narrow valleys of the Vall de Castells, where the curves tighten and the views open. The surface is mostly good, but narrow, with gravel and rock in places. Traffic is light, apart from cyclists at weekends, and early morning is the best time.
Castell de Castells, Benimantell and Vall d'Ebo have only a few hundred people each, so fuel is not to be counted on. Fill up in Pego, about fifteen kilometres away, or on the coast. Take water and a snack, and wear sturdy shoes for the walk.