The name Peña del Escrito means the written rock, and it is exactly that: a sandstone or limestone face in the pine country of the Serranía de Cuenca where prehistoric people painted. Like the other shelters around Villar del Humo, it is part of the eastern Spanish rock art that UNESCO recognised in 1998. Do not expect a single dramatic picture. The paintings here are small, and often faded, and part of the pleasure is working out what you are seeing: a bull, an archer, a line of dots, a figure that may be a person or may be only a stain.
The location is lovely. The Serranía lies on the high plateau of the Iberian System, where the Cabriel river has carved a gorge through limestone, with cliffs, caves and pine woods, and the area is a refuge for wildlife. Griffon vultures circle on the thermals, wild boar leave tracks in the mud, and in the quiet hours you may see roe deer at the edge of the woods. The air is clear and smells strongly of pine resin and wild thyme, and in winter the ground is often dusted with frost.
The roads here are narrow and winding, made for a relaxed ride rather than a fast one. They twist between forest and rock, with views across the valleys, and the surface can be rough at the edges, with gravel and the occasional pothole. The traffic is almost nonexistent, so it is easy to stop at a viewpoint and look at the view for a few minutes. Take care in the early morning and at dusk, when animals cross the road, and check the weather, as storms in summer can roll across the plateau quickly. In winter the higher roads may have ice or snow.
The villages nearby are small. Villar del Humo has only a few hundred people, Carboneras de Guadazaón and Cañete are not much bigger, and fuel stations are few and far between, so fill up in a larger town before heading in, with Cuenca being the obvious choice. Pack some food and water, because shops and bars are limited and may be closed in the afternoon. It is a remote, beautiful corner of Spain where silence is the main attraction.