The Valencia hinterland hides one of Europe's oldest art galleries in the cracks of its limestone. Corral de Silla is one of the rock shelters of the Mediterranean Basin rock art, a group of sites in eastern Spain that UNESCO listed in 1998. The paintings are in the Levantine style, small, lively figures of archers, deer and wild goats in red or black pigment, and are thought to be thousands of years old, with the exact dates still debated by specialists. Access to such shelters is often controlled, and many are reached only on foot, so it is worth checking before arriving.
The surrounding country is the Serranía, the highland interior of Valencia province, a region of pine forests, almond groves, dry stone terraces and deep ravines carved by the Turia river and its tributaries. Tuéjar, Chelva and Alpuente are small, pretty villages with Moorish origins. Alpuente was once the capital of a tiny independent Muslim kingdom in the eleventh century, and still has remains of its castle and cisterns. Near Chelva stand the arches of the Roman aqueduct of Peña Cortada, carrying water across a gorge that is dramatic enough to make you stop.
For a rider the Serranía is a delight. Narrow, curving roads rise and fall through limestone country, with sudden views over reservoirs and ridges, and traffic is light except in August and on spring weekends. The surface is generally good, though patched, and hairpins are tight enough to be fun without being frightening. The heat in midsummer can be fierce, so start early and carry water, and cold nights in winter bring ice to the higher bends.
Fuel is the thing to plan. Tuéjar, Chelva and Alpuente are small, with populations of a thousand or two, so do not count on a petrol station in each one; the larger towns on the main route, such as Requena or Llíria, are safer. Bars in the villages serve strong coffee and good bocadillos. The best seasons are spring, when the hills are green and the almonds bloom white in late winter, and autumn, when the light is golden and the vine leaves turn.