High in the north of Almería province, far from the beaches most people associate with the name, the Sierra de María rises in grey limestone above a plateau of almond orchards and cereal fields. Gabar is a point in the hills between the villages of María and Vélez-Blanco, part of a cluster of rock-art shelters in the Los Vélez district. This corner of Spain is famous for one painted figure in particular: the Indalo, a little stick man holding an arc over his head, found in the Cueva de los Letreros just outside Vélez-Blanco. It has become the emblem of the whole province, painted on doors and sold as a lucky charm, which is a remarkable career for a prehistoric doodle.
Vélez-Blanco itself is crowned by one of the most dramatic castles in Andalusia, a Renaissance fortress on a rock built for the Fajardo family in the early sixteenth century. Its marble courtyard was sold off in the early twentieth century and ended up in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, so what you see today is the shell, still imposing against the sky. María has a lovely shrine in the pines above the village and a botanical garden that introduces the plants of the Sierra de María-Los Vélez natural park.
The riding is excellent and empty. The road from Vélez-Rubio via Vélez-Blanco to María winds through dry hills, almond terraces and pine woods, with long views and very little traffic; beyond María, roads continue toward Orce and Huéscar across a high, bare plateau where the wind can be relentless. Winters are properly cold up here, with frost and occasionally snow, while summer days are hot but the nights are cool. Late February, when the almond trees blossom pink and white across the slopes, is unforgettable.
Vélez-Rubio, about fifteen kilometres away, is the main town of the district, with fuel, supermarkets, banks and restaurants, and a surprisingly grand baroque church for a place its size. María and Vélez-Blanco have bars and simple restaurants serving local dishes like migas, fried breadcrumbs with garlic and peppers, or hearty bean stews. If you are heading into the hills, carry water and a snack; distances between villages are longer than they look on the map.