Vélez-Rubio is a larger and busier place than its neighbour Vélez-Blanco, with seven thousand people, a lively main street, and a church that is a surprise in a town this size. The Church of the Encarnación, begun in the eighteenth century, has twin towers and a massive Baroque façade, usually described as the largest Baroque church in Almería, and its bulk dominates the roofs. It is a good place to start before riding up toward the mountains, because the fuel stations here are the nearest reliable ones for a long way.
The Cueva del Tío Labrador lies in the hills above Vélez-Blanco, ten kilometres from that town, in the Sierra de María-Los Vélez natural park. Like other shelters nearby, it belongs to the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin, listed by UNESCO in 1998, and the paintings are small and delicate. Access to many of the shelters is controlled, so check with the park office or the local tourist office before you set off, and never touch the rock.
The park is a high plateau of pines, junipers and almond groves, with limestone peaks, one of them above two thousand metres. The air is dry and clear, and the sky at night is brilliant. Wildlife includes ibex, foxes and eagles, and the spring flora is rich, with orchids and aromatic herbs. Almond blossom in February turns the valleys pink and white. The local food is simple and good: migas, game, cured ham and bread baked in wood ovens.
The roads in the Sierra are quiet and a pleasure for a motorcycle: smooth surfaces, long, open bends and long views across the plateau, with little traffic outside holidays. Winters are cold, with frost and occasional snow, and summers are hot, though the nights are cool. Wind can be strong on the exposed sections. Spring and autumn are the nicest seasons. On a clear morning you can see the distant mountains of the Sierra Nevada to the southwest.