Alcoi is the capital of this mountain district, a big industrial town in a basin between ranges, and its reputation rests on paper, textiles and fiesta. The town was a centre of paper-making for centuries, drawing on the water of its rivers, and in the nineteenth century, it became one of the first industrial cities in Valencia, with factories in the valley bottom and fine modernist buildings on the hill. Every April, it stages the most famous of the Moors and Christians festivals in Spain, with hundreds of costumed participants, mock battles, firecrackers and processions that last for days. The festival is dedicated to Saint George, and it commemorates the legendary victory of Christians over Muslims in the thirteenth century.
The shelter at Barranc del Salt, Abric VI, lies in the hills not far to the north-east, about four kilometres from the village of Benilloba, and carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. It sits among the pines and rock of the Serra de Mariola, and is accompanied on the ride by another site named Abric del Garrofero, the carob-tree shelter.
The Mariola is wonderful for walkers and has some of the best mountain scenery in the province, with limestone cliffs, beech and holm oak in the shadier gullies, and pine on the slopes. It is a refuge for birds, with eagles, kestrels and vultures overhead, and the aromatic plants give the air a clean, herbal scent. Local people collect them for teas and liqueurs.
The riding is a delight. Roads wind from the Benilloba side up into the hills with bends that range from gentle to tight, with big views over the valleys. Surfaces are mostly good but narrow, and cyclists are common, particularly on weekends. Autumn brings mushroom hunters, and cars parked along the verge. Take care in winter, when ice can persist in shaded bends.
Cocentaina, about ten kilometres away, is bigger, with over eleven thousand people and plenty of stations, and Alcoi is larger still. In either, you will find good, simple food.