Forget the idea of a single village, because Nerpio is a municipality of scattered hamlets, farms and fields across a basin of the Sierra del Segura, and the shelters of Prado del Tornero are right at its edge. Prado del Tornero II, six hundred metres from the village, is the second of its group and belongs to the unusual concentration of rock paintings that makes the Nerpio district one of the great sites of Spanish prehistory, covered by UNESCO's 1998 listing. You can walk to it from the village in a few minutes, which makes it ideal for a short stop between legs of a long ride.
A base in Nerpio makes sense for a three-day exploration. The village has a few places to sleep and a handful of bars, and from it you can ride in several directions: south to Huéscar and the Granada plateau, north to Yeste and the valley of the Segura, east toward Letur and Moratalla, and west into the heart of the Sierra de Segura. Each direction offers its own mood. The north is forested and green, the south is open and dry, the east is a land of gorges and old castles, and the west is wild.
Season matters a lot. Nerpio is high and cold, with frost on many mornings from November to April, and snow is possible at any time in winter. Spring is short and bright, with flowers in May. Summer days are hot and dry, with cool nights. Autumn is probably the best, with golden poplars along the streams and a sharp clarity to the light. Whenever you come, carry layers and waterproofs, because the weather in the mountains changes quickly.
Fuel is the thing you must plan for. Nerpio is a small place, and Yeste, twenty-four kilometres away, has the nearest dependable station. Huéscar is farther and Moratalla farther still. Eat in the village, where you can expect hearty mountain food, and carry water on every walk. The shelter is easy to reach, and there is no need to hurry.