Hellín is a sizeable town of thirty thousand in the south-east of Albacete province, a dry, open country of hills, almond groves and stony plains that belongs more to Murcia than to La Mancha in feeling. The Barranco de la Mortaja is a ravine in the sandstone hills near the town, and the shelter that gives this stop its name belongs to the rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, a group of sites that UNESCO listed in 1998. The region is among the best for early paintings, with the shelters of Minateda close by, where figures of hunters and animals, in red and black, were painted on the walls of rock overhangs thousands of years ago.
Hellín is also famous for its drums. Each Holy Week, thousands of people gather in the streets and beat drums in unison from midnight on Holy Thursday in the tamborrada, a thunderous ritual shared with the neighbouring town of Tobarra, and recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage. The sound rolls across the town, and the effect is overwhelming. At other times of year the town is quiet, with a pleasant old quarter and a handful of bars.
The riding here is open and dry. Roads run across the plateau in long, straight lines, with the sharp curves reserved for the ravines, where they dip and climb with a pleasing rhythm. The surface is generally good, and traffic is thin outside the town. In summer the heat is intense, and the wind can blow strongly across the open land. The light in spring and autumn is clear and warm, and the landscape glows at sunset.
Hellín has fuel, supermarkets and a good choice of restaurants, and Tobarra is a smaller town with similar services. Albatana is a small village with a few bars. The local cooking is based on rice, lamb, and vegetables from the irrigated valleys, and the sweet pastries are worth a try. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and winter nights can be cold on the high ground.