Nerpio is about as far from anywhere as you can get in mainland Spain. This village of around sixteen hundred people sits in the Sierra del Segura, in the far south-west of Albacete province, close to the borders of Murcia and Andalusia, and the surrounding hills are dotted with shelters containing prehistoric paintings. The numbered sites around here, Cavidad V among them, are part of the UNESCO-listed Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the Nerpio area is one of the richest concentrations of Levantine art in Spain, with hunting scenes, archers and animals painted thousands of years ago.
Visits to the shelters are usually organised from the village's interpretation centre, and a guide is generally required because the sites are protected and sometimes hard to find. The paintings can be faint, and they show best in the right light, so it pays to plan ahead. The surrounding landscape is dramatic: limestone ridges, pine forests, deep river valleys, and terraced fields of walnuts, for which Nerpio is well known.
The roads in the Sierra del Segura are a motorcyclist's dream, if you like tight bends and few people. They twist through gorges and over passes, with long climbs and descents and an almost total absence of traffic. The surfaces vary from excellent to rough, and there may be gravel, rockfall or livestock around any corner. Winters are cold, and summer storms can be violent. This is the kind of place where you see more goats than cars.
Plan your fuel carefully: Nerpio is small, and the nearest reliable larger town is Moratalla, nearly thirty kilometres away by winding road, with Yeste another option. Food in the area is simple and robust, with lamb, game, and gazpacho manchego, a hearty stew made with flatbread. Spend a night in the village if you can, and look at the stars, which are spectacular in this remote corner of Spain, then ride out at dawn, when the light on the cliffs is warm and the valleys are still in shadow.