El Campello was a fishing village until quite recently, and it still has a working fish market on the seafront, where boats come in each afternoon and the catch is sold by auction. Today the town, with about 26,000 people, is one of the commuter and holiday towns on the coast north of Alicante, its beach lined with flats and its old harbour with small restaurants serving fresh fish and rice dishes. It is a nice place for a stop, with a long sandy beach and calm water, and in the summer evenings the promenade fills with families.
Inland, the land climbs steeply into the hills, and the contrast is large. The slopes above the coast are covered with the same pine, carob and almond that grow across the Alicante hinterland, and the view back towards the sea gives a feeling of how closely wild country and tourist coast sit together. Somewhere in the ravines and cliffs of this area are rock shelters with prehistoric paintings, part of a tradition of Levantine rock art that stretches along eastern Spain, listed by UNESCO in 1998. Because the paintings are delicate, access is limited and many are not marked, so check locally before you set out to look for any of them.
The riding between El Campello, Villajoyosa and Alicante is a coastal one, with the sea on one side and the hills on the other. Roads are busy in summer, with tourist traffic and many roundabouts, so early morning is much the best time. Villajoyosa, with its colourful houses along the seafront and the chocolate factories that have been in the town for generations, is a good stop on the way north. Inland roads climb towards the sierra with tight bends and good views.
Fuel is easy, as El Campello, Villajoyosa and Alicante all have plenty of stations, and the beach cafés will serve a coffee and a tostada in the morning. A local speciality is the arroz a banda, rice cooked in fish stock and served with allioli, and the nearby island of Tabarca, a short boat ride from Alicante, is known for its caldero fish stew. Take sun protection, as the light here is strong even in winter, and keep to the shade in the middle of the day.