Up on the roof of the Maestrazgo, where Teruel and Castellón meet, the land rises above fourteen hundred metres into a bleak, beautiful plateau of pasture, pine and limestone. Mosqueruela, on the Aragonese side, is one of the highest villages in the area, and Vilafranca, on the Valencian side, sits in a valley below. The Barranco de Gibert cuts into the hills between them, close also to La Iglesuela del Cid, and its second shelter holds prehistoric paintings.
The painted shelters of this high country are part of the great Levantine tradition, with small figures of hunters and animals in red, and they belong to the UNESCO inscription that covers sites across eastern Spain. Here, at altitude, the shelters suggest seasonal use: hunters following game up to the summer pastures, much as shepherds would later drive their flocks along the drove roads that still cross the plateau.
The most striking thing about this landscape is the dry-stone work. Every field is enclosed by walls of stacked limestone, built without mortar over centuries, and the hills are dotted with stone huts, wells and shelters for livestock. Vilafranca has a museum dedicated to this craft, the pedra en sec, which UNESCO recognises as intangible heritage. La Iglesuela del Cid, a village of noble stone houses, has a Templar past and a fine town hall. Mosqueruela has a well-preserved walled centre with arcaded streets.
The riding is superb but demanding. The roads across the plateau, linking Mosqueruela, Vilafranca, La Iglesuela, Cantavieja and Vistabella, are narrow and wind through pine forest and over passes, with long views and very little traffic. Surfaces can be rough, with gravel and broken edges. The weather is the big factor: at this altitude, winter is long and cold, with snow and ice, and summer storms build quickly in the afternoon. Wind can be strong.
Services are sparse. Vilafranca and Mosqueruela have small shops and bars, and Vilafranca has fuel; otherwise, l'Alcora, about thirty-nine kilometres away, is the nearest larger town. Plan your fuel carefully. Local food is mountain fare: lamb, cured meats, the cheeses of the Maestrazgo, and the hearty olla, a stew of beans and pork. Summer and early autumn are the best seasons.