The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the wildest corners of the Valencian region, a cluster of tiny villages in the mountains where Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon meet, and the Abric de la Tenalla lies on its southeastern edge, near Rosell. It is one of the many rock shelters in this area with prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean Basin, and the nearby Serra de Godall and the Ulldecona shelters to the east are among the most important sites in Catalonia. The landscape is dramatic: limestone cliffs, deep gorges, pine and holm oak forests, and abandoned terraces where shepherds once grazed their flocks.
The Tinença takes its name from the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de Benifassà, founded in the thirteenth century after the Christian conquest, which still stands in a remote valley and is occupied by an order of Carthusian nuns. The villages of the Tinença, such as Fredes, El Boixar and Castell de Cabres, are among the highest and smallest in the region, and many have been almost abandoned, though some are coming back to life with rural tourism.
The riding in the Tinença is fantastic for those who enjoy narrow, twisty mountain roads with no traffic. The road from Rosell to La Sénia and up to the Tinença villages climbs through forests and gorges, with tight hairpins, steep gradients and spectacular views. The Ulldecona reservoir, surrounded by pine forest, is a beautiful spot for a break. Surfaces can be rough, with gravel and rockfalls, and there are few services, so plan carefully. Weather in the mountains is changeable, with cold winters and fog, and summers warm but cooler than the coast.
Ulldecona, about twenty-four kilometres away, is the nearest town with more than five thousand people and all services, and La Sénia, a furniture-making town, is closer and also has fuel. In the villages, simple restaurants serve mountain food: grilled lamb and rabbit, wild mushroom dishes in autumn, and cured meats. The coast, with the Ebro delta and its rice fields and lagoons, is about an hour away, offering a complete change of scenery.