Cañaica del Calar lies in the south of Albacete province, on the edge of a rugged corner of the Sierra del Segura where Murcia, Albacete and Jaén nearly meet. The painted shelter that bears its name, listed here as Cañaica del Calar II, is in a landscape of dry limestone ridges, pines and sudden ravines that drain into the Río Segura. The village of Nerpio is eleven kilometres away, and Moratalla, the nearest sizeable town, is twenty-six, so this is a long way to go on the strength of a single rock face.
The pull is in the combination. Levantine rock art is concentrated in the mountains between Murcia and Albacete, with some of the most remarkable shelters in Spain around Moratalla, and the UNESCO listing covers several of them. The paintings here are small figures, often in red, of the same style as the better-known shelters in the Vero or the Maestrazgo, and the wall may well be fenced or hidden by a grille.
What I can promise is the riding. The roads between Moratalla, Letur and Nerpio are some of the quietest in eastern Spain. They are narrow, curving and often unmarked at the edges, with long climbs through pine forest and sudden views over deep valleys. Wildlife is plentiful, including deer, boar and golden eagles, and in autumn you can hear stags roaring in the early morning. Winter brings snow to the higher ridges and ice in the shade, so check the forecast.
Fuel is the awkward part. Nerpio, with about sixteen hundred people, may have a pump, but out here you should not count on it. Moratalla is the safe bet, a town of about eight and a half thousand with a Moorish castle on a hill and a Holy Week drumming tradition known as the tamborada. Take enough water for a day, tell someone your route, and expect almost no phone signal once you leave the main road.