Nerpio sits at about a thousand metres in the Sierra de Segura foothills, at the far south-west corner of Albacete province, in a high valley that feels closer to Andalusia than to La Mancha. It is an out-of-the-way place, with orchards of apples, almond and walnut trees in the valley bottoms and bare limestone peaks above. The area is famous among specialists for its rock art: dozens of shelters in the surrounding gorges hold paintings of the Levantine and Schematic styles, and they are part of the Mediterranean-arc group UNESCO listed in 1998. The Friso de los Gitanos, the Gypsies' Frieze, is one of the better known, and the name tells you that locals have been looking at it for a long time.
The Taibilla river runs through the valley. Its water is collected in a reservoir that supplies much of Murcia, so this high dry country is quietly responsible for the taps of a province far away. Along the river the valley is green, with poplars and reeds, and the path to some shelters follows old irrigation channels.
The road in is the thing to savour. Approaches from Yeste or Moratalla involve long winding climbs, tight bends and sudden drops into gorges, with little traffic and a lot of space. Sheep and goats cross whenever they like, and the surface can be rough in places. Fuel is thin: Nerpio is a small town of some sixteen hundred, while Yeste and Moratalla are bigger and twenty to thirty kilometres away. Fill the tank in one of them. Nights are cold even in summer, and snow is possible from December to March.
Eat simply. Roast lamb, game stews, and the crumbs-and-garlic dish called gachamigas appear on menus, and the local bread is good. If you walk to the shelter, check the access in advance, because some require permission or a guide. Look up from the painted wall at the bare cliff. There is an eagle's nest somewhere above it, and the quiet is of the kind you can hear.