Benassal is a stone village on a high plateau in the Alt Maestrat, in the interior of Castellón, at around eight hundred metres above sea level, and it is known throughout the region for its spring water, the Font d'en Segures, which is bottled and sold across Spain. The Abric del Mas Blanc, the shelter of the white farmhouse, is one of the many rock-art sites in the area, part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean prehistoric art. The nearby Valltorta gorge, about twenty kilometres to the east, has some of the most famous Levantine paintings, including dramatic hunting scenes, and the Valltorta museum in Tírig is the best place to learn about them.
The Maestrat is a land of high plateaus, deep gorges and stone villages, with dry-stone walls dividing the fields and masías, isolated farmhouses, scattered across the landscape. The name comes from the masters of the military orders who ruled the region after the Christian conquest. Culla, a few kilometres to the south, is a spectacular village perched on a hill, with a castle and views over the surrounding mountains, and Ares del Maestrat sits beneath a huge rock with remains of a castle on top.
The riding here is a delight. The roads from Benassal to Culla, Ares and Catí wind through the mountains with tight bends, climbs and descents, and views over valleys and gorges. Traffic is almost non-existent, and the roads, though narrow, are mostly well surfaced. The CV-15 from the coast up to the Maestrat is a good access road, with long curves. The weather in the mountains can be cold and windy, especially in winter, when snow is possible, and fog can roll in quickly.
Services in the Maestrat are limited. Benassal has a few shops and bars, and fuel can be found in some larger villages like Albocàsser or Vilafranca, but the nearest town over five thousand people, Alcalà de Xivert, is about thirty kilometres away on the coast. Fill up before heading into the mountains. Local food is robust: roast lamb, cecina, cured meats, sheep's cheese and the traditional olla, a stew of beans, meat and vegetables, perfect for cold days.