The north of Almería province is a different Spain from the sunburnt beach coast to the south. Here, around Vélez-Blanco and Vélez-Rubio, the land lifts to a high, cold plateau of almonds, cereal and pine woods, and the Sierra María-Los Vélez natural park rises above it, a rough limestone ridge with its summit above two thousand metres. Panal is a rock shelter in those hills, a short distance from Vélez-Blanco, and it belongs to the group of paintings recognised by UNESCO as the Mediterranean Basin rock art. Here the paintings are of the schematic kind, simple red signs and figures, rather than the lively hunting scenes found further north.
What the visitor notices first is the nature. The park is dry, but it is rich: Aleppo pine and holm oak cover the slopes, rosemary and thyme grow in the rocks, and golden eagles and Bonelli's eagles hunt over the cliffs. In spring, the ground is alive with small orchids. The smell, after a shower on a warm day, is resin and herbs. Nights are cold even in summer, and the stars at this height are brilliant.
The riding is worth the journey. Roads climb gently from the plateau into the sierra and wind through the forest with a good mix of bends and straights. Traffic is thin, and surfaces are generally good on the main routes, rougher on the narrow forest tracks. On the high ground, winter brings frost and occasional snow, so check the weather between November and March. Summer afternoons can be hot, so start early.
Vélez-Blanco, under three kilometres away, is a small town with a handful of bars and restaurants, and Vélez-Rubio, a little larger with seven thousand people, has the fuel, supermarkets and pharmacy that a small village cannot offer. Try the migas, the fried breadcrumb dish that is a staple of the Almerian highlands, or a plate of local lamb. Spring and autumn are the best times, with mild days and clear light, and the almond blossom in February is a bonus.