Concejal is the name of a rock shelter in the sierra above Nerpio, a part of southern Albacete that most Spaniards have never visited. It is numbered I in a series of shelters, and its paintings belong to the Levantine tradition that UNESCO recognised in 1998. There is a Canto Blanco shelter in the same ride, a white rock that gives it its name, and the pair give a feel of how densely the land was used by prehistoric people.
The high ground here is a cold, stony country of pine and juniper, with open pasture and small fields where the soil is deep enough for cereals. Nerpio sits at about a thousand metres or more, and the cold is a fact of life. The river Taibilla runs below, clear and fast, with trout and a few anglers, and the hills above are home to deer, boar and golden eagles. At night the sky is vast, and the Milky Way is easy to see.
Practical matters need care. Huéscar, around forty kilometres away, is bigger, with about eight thousand people, and Moratalla is another option. Fill your tank before you head up, and carry a bit of food and water.
The roads reward patience. They climb in long, curving sequences through forest, and the surfaces are variable, with some good stretches and others that have been patched many times. Traffic is almost non-existent. In winter, the roads can be icy, and in spring, melting snow can leave mud and gravel on the bends. In autumn the leaves of the poplars along the river turn yellow, and the oaks go copper.
Come in May or September for the best conditions. The shelter is reached on foot, and the sites in this part of the sierra are protected, so ask in Nerpio about access and the state of the paths.