Vélez-Blanco is a white town under a limestone crag in the north of Almería province, with a Renaissance castle on the rock above it and the pine-covered Sierra María rising behind. The Colmenas label sits less than a kilometre away, in country of dry slopes, almond groves and scattered farms.
The famous image from this district is the Indalo, a small figure holding an arc above its head, taken from a painting in the nearby Cueva de los Letreros, and now the symbol of all Almería, seen on stickers and doorways from the coast to the hills. The castle itself, built in the early sixteenth century for the Marquis of los Vélez, is worth a visit for its fortified outer walls. Its Renaissance courtyard, with fine marble carving, was sold and removed in the early twentieth century, and it now stands in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, an odd fact to repeat over lunch.
Out on the bike it feels quiet and open. The roads between Vélez-Blanco, Vélez-Rubio and María are in generally good condition and have very little traffic, with long views over high plains, and the corners are gentle, shaped by the landscape rather than the engineers. At about a thousand metres the air is clear and cooler than the coast, and the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park offers walking and birdwatching. Wind can be strong on the exposed sections, and winter brings frost and the occasional snow, so check conditions from December to February.
For fuel, the nearest sizeable town is Vélez-Rubio, about five kilometres away, with seven thousand people and several stations; Vélez-Blanco is smaller and may not have one. Both towns have bars serving coffee and tapas, and Almería province is one of the places where a drink still comes with a free small plate. Spring is the best season, when the almond blossom is out in February and the hills turn green; summer is hot and dry, and the best riding is early morning or evening.