Cooke made numerous trips throughout Europe and North Africa. In 1860, in company with Robert Bateman, he undertook a journey around Spain towards Tangier. A new, more luminous quality began to pervade the colours in his works. The light of the Mediterranean can be seen even in his pencil sketches, which show clarity and the sense of exoticism that Spain awakened in European travellers.

After staying first at Barcelona and Tarragona, Cooke and Bateman went to Tortosa in order to take the stagecoach to Valencia. From here they made a detour to Madrid where they met John Phillip R.A., who was also travelling and painting in Spain. Cooke recorded their delight at the collections in Madrid of works by Velázquez, Titian and Veronese and also enthused about the collections of the Royal Armoury, making some sketches there. After returning to Valencia they continued to Alicante where Cooke completed this drawing.

It is a marine landscape showing a coach on the road to Alicante. In the background is the city of Alicante itself, with its castle the Castillo de Santa Bárbara on top of Mount Benacantil, and the small fishing port below. Sketched in the upper part of the drawing is a smaller, closely observed study of six boats fishing near the coast.