Chelva, Aras de los Olmos and Rincón de Ademuz

El Rincón de Ademuz is probably the strangest geopolitical curiosity in the whole of the Valencian Community. It is an administrative enclave: a small territory (just 370 km²) that belongs to the province of Valencia but is completely surrounded by the provinces of Cuenca (Castile-La Mancha) and Teruel (Aragon). It has no geographical continuity with the rest of Valencia and, for centuries, was practically cut off from the rest of the region. The historical reason for this peculiarity dates back to the Christian conquest of the 13th century, when King James I of Aragon conquered this area in 1259 and incorporated it into the newly created Kingdom of Valencia, although geographically it never had a natural connection with Valencia. That affiliation has endured for 750 years and still defines the identity of the Rincón today.

The result for motorcyclists is marvellous: the Rincón de Ademuz is one of the most sparsely populated, unspoilt and appealing areas for motorcycling in the whole of the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its roads are utterly deserted — you can ride for an hour without coming across another vehicle — the villages are medieval and virtually untouched, the landscapes alternate between high mountain ranges (with peaks over 1,700 m) and the river valleys of the Turia, and there is a constant sense of being in a forgotten corner of the world. Reaching El Rincón involves first crossing the Chelva Valley and the Serranos, already a little-travelled area in their own right, and then climbing up the Aras de los Olmos Pass to an altitude of over 1,350 m.

Aras de los Olmos, just before you reach Rincón itself, has a feature that is unique in the whole of the Valencian Community: it is one of the places officially designated as a ‘Starlight Tourist Destination’ by UNESCO due to the exceptional quality of its night skies. The combination of altitude (1,000 m), complete isolation from major urban centres and a clear atmosphere creates the best conditions for stargazing in the entire region. There is an astronomical observatory open to the public in the village (run by the University of Valencia) which organises night-time observation sessions for visitors. If your motorbike tour coincides with a new moon night in summer, spending the night in Aras and heading out to a viewpoint at midnight to see the Milky Way is an unforgettable experience.

Chelva, the capital of the Serranos and the gateway to the route, boasts a unique architectural feature: three completely distinct neighbourhoods — the Moorish, the Jewish and the Christian — which grew up side by side during the Middle Ages and still retain their distinct urban layouts. It is one of the few places in the Valencian Community where this historical coexistence (and tension) between the three cultures that defined medieval Al-Andalus is still visible. The Moorish quarter, in particular, retains a layout of narrow streets and white houses reminiscent of the villages of the Alpujarra region in Granada.

Riding tip: this is a long (200 km) and challenging route, which requires planning. The season runs from May to October; in winter, the mountain passes may be covered in snow. Fill up as much as possible in Llíria before heading up: within the Serranos and El Rincón ranges, there are only four petrol stations in operation (Chelva, Titaguas, Aras de los Olmos, Ademuz). For lunch, in Ademuz, Mesón La Casa del Hortelano serves roast lamb and Turia trout at reasonable prices. And a tip: if you have time, the detour to Castielfabib — a medieval village perched on a cliff just 8 km from Ademuz — is one of the most photogenic spots in the Rincón and the whole of the Valencian Community.