Mazarrón has always been about what lies under the ground. Roman miners dug silver and lead from these dry hills, and later generations extracted alum and ochre, and the coast near the town still shows the scars and the rust-coloured earth of that trade. Two Phoenician ships from about the seventh century BC were found wrecked on the nearby shore, an astonishing find for archaeologists. The Cueva de la Higuera lies inland from the coast in the arid hills of the Región de Murcia, and its name means the cave of the fig tree, a small mark of green in a very dry place.
The countryside is stony and bare. Low ridges of reddish rock rise above fields of almond, olive and greenhouse vegetables, and the roads that cross them are straight in places and curling in others, with plenty of bends once you enter the hills of the Sierra de las Moreras. The surface is generally good, but summer heat can be fierce, so start early and bring water. Winter and early spring are the best seasons, when the hills turn briefly green and the temperature is easy. On windy days, the coastal side picks up grit and the odd tumbleweed.
Mazarrón is a town of over thirty-five thousand people, about ten kilometres away, so fuel, supplies and food are easily found. The coastal strip at Puerto de Mazarrón has a long beach, and a short drive away the Bolnuevo erosions, strange wind-sculpted sandstone pillars, are among the most photographed sights on this stretch of coast. Fuente Álamo, a smaller town, lies in the other direction and has its own services, though Mazarrón is the better bet.
If you go inland, remember that hillside caves in Spain are protected sites, and the rock art inside them can be damaged easily. Look rather than touch, follow any signs and keep to the paths, and the place will still be here for the next rider. The light on the hills at evening, turning the stone red and then purple, is the real reward.