Teulada is the town, and Moraira is its seaside annexe, and between them they hold most of what people know about this slice of the Costa Blanca. The Catxupa shelter lies just outside the town, which has some fourteen and a half thousand residents, many of them northern Europeans who came for the sun and stayed. The old centre of Teulada, though, remains a Valencian one, with a fortified parish church and narrow lanes that fill with the smell of coffee and baking at midday.
The second shelter in the Catxupa group is a small overhang under the limestone slopes that fall toward the sea. The Levantine tradition of painting in red on rock shelters is found all along this coast, and this is one of the closer ones to the sea. It is a reminder that before holidaymakers, before the Romans and Moors, these slopes were hunting country, with the coast visible from the hills and game running through the scrub.
Moraira, a short ride down the hill, is the charming part. It is a former fishing village with a little castle on the point, built in the eighteenth century to guard against raiders from the sea, and a beach protected by a rocky headland. The nearby cape of Cap d'Or is a dramatic spit of land that looks like a dragon's back, and the cliffs near the Cap de la Nau, to the north, are among the finest on this coast. Moscatel grapes grow on the terraces, and the sweet wine made from them is worth a bottle.
The riding is a mix of gentle coastal bends and quick climbs inland. Roads here are good and mostly well maintained, though the traffic can be heavy in July and August, when everyone is trying to reach the beach. If you want peace, come in spring or autumn, or go inland by the back roads toward Benissa and Xàbia, which are quieter and more scenic.
Teulada has pumps, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants, so fuel and lunch are no trouble. Bring water for the walk to the shelter.