Caroig Massif: Bicorp and Quesa

The Caroig Massif is probably the wildest and least visited area in the whole Valencian Community. It is a limestone massif reaching 1,126 m that physically separates the Ribera del Júcar from La Costera and the inland districts, and for centuries it was almost inaccessible except by mule tracks. Today barely three secondary roads cross it, all narrow, technical and utterly deserted, which for the curious rider is a blessing: you can ride for a whole hour without meeting another vehicle, the villages are practically untouched medieval settlements, and the sense of isolation is so complete that it feels more like deepest Aragón than Valencia.

Bicorp, the best-known village of the Caroig, is internationally famous for an unexpected reason: it is home to one of the most widely reproduced scenes of Levantine rock art, the honey gathering. The Cueva de la Araña (technically a rock shelter, though everyone calls it a cave), made known in 1920 by Jaime Poch y Garí and studied by Eduardo Hernández-Pacheco's team, holds Levantine paintings that the note on a 2020 study by the IVCR+i and the University of Alicante dates to around 7,000 years ago (the chronology is still debated), and that have travelled the world: the most famous scene shows a figure hanging from ropes, holding a container, with an arm thrust into the hive and surrounded by bees; in Bicorp it is known as "la recolectora", the gatherer. The composition is so dynamic and expressive that it has been reproduced in countless art history books. Some researchers have read the figure as a woman, because of the narrow waist and broad hips with which it is drawn, although its sex has not been conclusively established in the archaeological record. The shelter is one of the sites of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula (Levantine Art), inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 — a collective listing that brings together more than 750 sites in six Spanish regions, of which this shelter is one component. It can be visited with a guide in small groups by booking with the Ecomuseo de Bicorp: the paintings are protected by a perimeter fence and cannot be accessed freely.

Quesa, another must-see village on the route, is known for its "Charcos del Río Grande", a string of natural turquoise pools carved by the Río Grande on its way down through the Caroig. The pools are so clear and of such an intense blue that they are more reminiscent of Mexican cenotes than a Spanish river. In summer they are a popular swimming spot for people from all around, and it is worth stopping to take a dip in their 18°C water (refreshing but not cold). Access from Quesa village is along a forest track that can be ridden by motorcycle.

Population density is very low: Bicorp, with 558 inhabitants in 136.66 km², has around 4 people per km². This deep depopulation has had paradoxical consequences. On the one hand, it has wiped out traditional shops (bakeries, butchers) in several villages, although some —like Bicorp— keep basic services such as a school and a medical centre, and the rise of rural tourism in recent years is bringing new residents back. On the other, depopulation has preserved the architectural and natural heritage in a way that is hard to find in busier areas. Villages such as Bicorp, Quesa, Millares or Navarrés keep old quarters of narrow streets, with stone houses, cobbled alleys and squares that look straight out of the 17th century.

Riding notes: this is one of the most demanding routes in inland Valencia. The Caroig roads are narrow, technical and, on some stretches, in poor condition (watch out for potholes). The season runs from March to November. Fill the tank in Xàtiva or Enguera before heading in: Bicorp has no petrol station — the nearest are in Enguera, Anna and Navarrés. A final tip: book the Ecomuseo's excursion to the Cueva de la Araña. It leaves at 10:30 from Wednesday to Sunday, lasts about three hours and includes the Ecomuseo itself, a botanical walk and the Chorrador de la Rebolla viewpoint (€5 per person, from age 6).