Guadalest is a tiny village on a rock, entered through a tunnel cut in the stone, with a castle, a bell tower perched on a pinnacle and a view over a turquoise reservoir below. It is one of the most visited places in the province of Alicante, and it sits at the heart of a valley surrounded by mountains: the Aitana, the highest in the province at over fifteen hundred metres, the Serrella and the Xortà. The Barranc de les Covatelles is one of the ravines in this mountainous country, near Benimantell, Sella and Castell de Castells, with rock shelters that hold prehistoric paintings, one component of the World Heritage inscription for the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.
The villages in this area are small, with a few hundred inhabitants each, and their life revolves around almonds, olives, cherries and, increasingly, tourism. Sella is a famous climbing destination, with limestone cliffs drawing climbers from across Europe, especially in winter. Benimantell, close to Guadalest, has restaurants serving mountain cuisine. The Aitana, whose summit is occupied by a military base, has forests of pine and holm oak, springs and snow pits, where snow was once stored to be sold as ice in the summer.
The riding is excellent. The roads around the Guadalest valley are twisty and narrow, climbing over passes with views over the mountains and down to the sea. The road from Guadalest toward Confrides and the Port de Tudons, a pass of over a thousand metres, is particularly fine, with long curves and few cars. Road quality is fair to good, but there are cyclists in large numbers, especially in winter and spring, and tourist coaches near Guadalest. Watch for gravel and goats. Summer is hot, while winter is mild, though the high roads can see frost and snow.
Guadalest and Benimantell have restaurants and shops, but for fuel, head to Callosa or Alcoy before setting out. Food here is mountain cuisine: olleta, a stew of beans and meat, embutidos, cured sausages, and pericana, a dish of dried peppers and salt cod. Local cherries, in season, are delicious. Visit Guadalest early in the morning, before the coaches, then ride into the mountains and leave the crowds behind.