Behind the beaches and high-rises of the Costa Blanca, a few kilometres inland from Alicante and El Campello, the land rises quickly into dry limestone hills, scrub and almond terraces. This is the beginning of the Betic ranges, and the area is cut by ravines, barrancos, which carry water only after heavy storms and have carved gorges in the soft rock. Garganta de la Hoz is the name of such a gorge, a narrow cut in the hills, and the I suggests that more than one point on the ride lies along it.
The landscape smells of thyme, rosemary and pine resin in the sun, with Aleppo pines on the hillsides, carob and olive trees in the terraces, and cliffs where eagle owls and Bonelli's eagles nest. Nearby, the cave of Canelobre at Busot has a huge cathedral-like chamber with stalactites, and the hill villages of the Alicante interior, such as Xixona, are famous for turrón, the almond and honey nougat sold at Christmas across Spain. The sea is visible from many of the ridges, a deep blue strip beyond the white towns.
For a rider the interior is a delight. The roads from El Campello and Alicante climb into the hills with tight bends, hairpins and views, and they are quiet in the winter and spring, when the Costa Blanca tourists are fewer. Surfaces are generally good, though gravel washes onto the corners after rain, and the occasional cyclist or tractor is a hazard. Summer is hot, with temperatures often above thirty-five degrees, and busy on the coast, so the best seasons are autumn through spring. When the rain comes, it can be violent, and dry stream beds fill rapidly, so avoid crossing flooded roads.
El Campello, a coastal town of about twenty-six thousand people some fourteen kilometres away, has fuel stations, supermarkets, workshops and a fine selection of seafood restaurants along the sea front. Alicante, a short ride south, has everything else. Try arroz a banda, rice cooked in fish stock, or a plate of fried squid, and a coffee in a harbour café. Carry water on any walk in the hills, wear a hat, and keep to marked paths, since the ground is rocky and the sun strong.