Some places are remote on the map and remote in the gut, and the country around the Cueva del Gitano is both. It lies in the Sierra de Segura on the southern fringe of Albacete province, in the municipality of Nerpio, where the mountains of Albacete, Murcia, Jaén and Granada all run into one another. This is one of the richest areas for prehistoric rock art in Spain, with dozens of painted shelters along the valley of the Taibilla river and its side ravines, and the Cueva del Gitano is one of the smaller sites in that dense cluster. The art is faint, the walk can be rough, and the setting does most of the talking.
The roads to get here are a joy if you like quiet tarmac and plenty of bends. From Yeste or from the Murcian side through Moratalla, the routes climb into pine-covered mountains and then wind along limestone valleys, rarely straight for more than a few hundred metres. The surface is generally fine but narrow, with fallen rocks after storms and the odd herd of goats on the move. You can ride for half an hour and meet two cars. In winter, snow and ice can make the higher sections dangerous, and in summer the heat is real, though it is gentler here than down on the plain.
Nerpio is known for its walnuts, which grow in groves along the river, and for a village life that has changed little in many decades. Yeste, slightly larger, has a castle above the town and an old quarter of narrow streets. Both are small, and while they have the basics, services can be limited, especially on Sundays and in the afternoon siesta hours.
Fuel is the thing to plan. The larger town of Moratalla in Murcia is nearly forty kilometres away, and there are long gaps between pumps across these mountains, so fill up when you can and carry the habit of topping off at every opportunity. Water from village fountains is usually drinkable, but carry your own anyway. The reward for the effort is solitude, dark night skies, the scent of resin in the warm afternoon air, and the sense of riding through a corner of Spain that has quietly kept its own rhythm.