Tous Reservoir and the Inland Júcar Ribera

The Tous reservoir is one of the great riding secrets of the Valencia region. Built after the devastating pantanada of 1982 — the collapse of the old dam that flooded the Ribera and killed dozens — the new reservoir has created a turquoise lake wedged between mountains that, when full, recalls an Alpine one. The CV-580 following its western shore is a delight: constant bends, water views, pine and rosemary on both sides, and next to no traffic.

The approach from Alzira inland on the CV-50 is a perfect transition from the Valencian huerta (orange groves, rice paddies) to Mediterranean mountain (holm oak, pine, rosemary). The contrast is dramatic: in barely 20 km you go from the flat, fertile fields of the Ribera Baixa to the first spurs of the Sierra de las Albublas, where the roads begin to twist between limestone hills under Mediterranean scrub.

The route takes in some of the most enjoyable stretches a Valencian rider knows: the climb to the Collado de la Creueta on the CV-560, medium-radius bends through pine; the descent towards the Ayora valley on empty roads; and the loop back through Enguera and Anna, where the Gorga del Salto — a waterfall and natural pool beside the village — is the perfect cooling stop in the hot months.

Anna and Enguera are inland Valencian villages preserving an extraordinary Moorish hydraulic heritage: irrigation channels, weirs, cisterns and mills built by the Muslims over the centuries of al-Andalus to water and farm these valleys. The Gorga del Salto at Anna is especially lovely: a 20-metre waterfall dropping into a crystalline pool ringed by vegetation, reachable on foot from the village.

Practical notes: the route is rideable year-round in a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot in the valleys (35-40°C), but the reservoirs and natural pools cool things down. The roads are good, though some minor ones are narrow. Fuel in Alzira, Tous and Enguera. For food, all i pebre (eel stewed with garlic and paprika, the classic dish of the Albufera and the Ribera), baked rice and Valencian clóchinas (mussels) are essential.