Eight shelters, ten shelters, more: the hills between El Campello and Villajoyosa have been counted and numbered by archaeologists, and Garganta de la Hoz VIII is one of those that earned a place on the UNESCO list of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin. The paintings are in the Levantine tradition, red figures on pale limestone, and they have survived on this dry hillside for thousands of years.
One thing that surprises visitors is how quickly the coast gives way to the interior. Ten minutes from the beach, the road is among pine and carob, and the roar of the resort towns is replaced by cicadas and the occasional tractor. The terraces on the slopes were built for almond, olive and vines, and abandoned as farming moved to the plains. Wild rosemary, thyme and gorse have taken over.
For motorcyclists, this is a good area for a leisurely half-day. The roads climb in a series of short bends, with sections of tight hairpin and others where you can open up. Surfaces are fair, and traffic is minimal inland, although the coast road in summer is a slow crawl behind caravans. Villajoyosa, with nearly thirty-four thousand people, and El Campello, with a little over twenty-six thousand, both have fuel and plenty of cafes. In Villajoyosa, the old centre by the sea, with its row of houses painted pink, ochre and blue, is worth a stroll, and the town's chocolate factories have been making sweets for well over a century.
Be careful about summer. Temperatures on the exposed slopes soar, and the stone keeps its heat long after sunset. The cooler months are far kinder, and in November the first rain brings out the smell of wet earth and a startling green in the gullies.
The walk to the shelter is not long but is rough, and some rock art sites in this area have restricted access, so ask in the villages before you set out.