Planes sits in a cleft of the green hills above the Serpis river, in the Comtat, and the village of Beniarrés a few kilometres away is known for its reservoir, which fills the valley floor with a long, quiet sheet of water. The Coves de la Vila are a set of rock shelters in the cliffs above the village, and they belong to the Mediterranean Basin rock art that UNESCO listed in 1998. The paintings are in the Levantine style, red figures of hunters, goats and deer, and the shelters look out over the valley, giving you the same view as the people who painted them.
The reservoir of Beniarrés, built in the twentieth century, has made a new habitat for wildlife, and herons, coots and ducks gather at its edges. The surrounding hills belong to the Serra de Mariola, a natural park known for its herbs, which have been gathered for centuries and used to make liqueurs and teas. The smell of thyme, rosemary and lavender fills the air on warm days, and the pine woods are cool and shady. Hikers and cyclists come to the park in large numbers at weekends.
The riding in the Comtat is a pleasure. Narrow roads wind through the valleys with a good succession of bends, climb over low passes with views of terraced slopes and drop to the reservoir and river. Traffic is thin during the week, and the surface is generally fair. On a fine weekend the roads of the Mariola attract other riders, and a friendly nod on the bends is customary. In summer, the heat is strong, so start early.
Planes is a village of eight hundred people with a few bars, and Beniarrés, a little larger, has shops and a cafe. For fuel, the best choice is Alcoi or Cocentaina, a short ride away. The local food is good and plain, with stews and rice dishes, and the herbal liqueur of the Mariola is worth tasting. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild days, and winter mornings can be frosty on the high ground.