Garganta de la Hoz II is another shelter in the same cluster of ravines inland from the Costa Blanca, in a rocky landscape between El Campello and Villajoyosa that is more austere than the coast would suggest. It is among the painted sites that were added to the UNESCO list in 1998 as part of the Mediterranean basin group, and the red figures on its wall are in the Levantine style that spread along Spain's eastern flank.
I like this country for what it holds back. The roads here are not famous, and they do not make the guidebooks, but they are neat, twisting and almost empty. They climb from the coast through pine and carob, past old threshing floors and abandoned terraces, and the views open out onto the sea in the afternoon haze. The tarmac is mostly in good order, with the odd rough patch where winter storms have washed gravel across the road. Walkers and cyclists are the main company.
Villajoyosa has the big supermarket and the pumps, with nearly thirty-four thousand inhabitants, and El Campello, a seaside town of twenty-six thousand, is a good second choice. If you stop in Villajoyosa, look at the old fishermen's quarter and the Sunday market, and ask for a coffee at one of the cafes by the beach. In the hills themselves there is very little, so bring water and a snack.
In July and August this part of Alicante is hot and bustling, with beach traffic clogging the coast road. In spring the interior is green and the roads are quiet, and in autumn the sea stays warm enough to swim after a ride. Winter is mild but can be wet, and a sudden downpour can turn the dust on the road to a slippery paste.