The Benicadell range is the thing that dominates every view here, a pale limestone ridge that rises above 1,100 metres between the Vall d'Albaida and the Comtat. The shelter marked here lies at the base of it, among villages that most Valencians have heard of but few have visited: Ráfol de Salem, Castelló de Rugat and Beniarrés, all within four kilometres of one another. This is quiet country of orchards, olive terraces and little hamlets with a church and a bar.
The painted shelters in this barranc belong to the Levantine tradition of rock art, with its small, nimble red figures of hunters and animals. The tradition is old, much older than the Romans or the Moors, and the best minds in archaeology still argue about exactly how old. UNESCO included the group in its World Heritage list in 1998, covering hundreds of sites along Spain's Mediterranean side. This one is a small piece of that larger picture, and part of its charm is that it is so unassuming.
Beniarrés has a reservoir on the Serpis river, a calm sheet of water in a crease of the hills which is a good place to eat a sandwich and watch birds. Ráfol de Salem is crowned by a ruined castle that sits above the village on a rocky knoll; it is a short, steep detour if you fancy it. There is Moorish history everywhere in this part of the country, from terraced irrigation to place names that begin with Beni, meaning sons of, in the old Arabic fashion.
The roads connecting these villages are the draw for a rider. They are narrow, quiet and bendy, with surfaces that range from smooth to tired, and the gradients are gentle except where the Benicadell pushes the road upward. Morning is cool, midday is hot and quiet, and evening light on the ridge is magnificent.
For fuel, the nearest larger town is Muro del Alcoy, about ten kilometres away, with Alcoy beyond. Castelló de Rugat is big enough for a bar and a bakery, but do not count on a pump in the smaller villages. Carry water if you plan to walk.