Most people come to this stretch of the Castellón coast for the beaches at Benicàssim and Oropesa, and they never look up at the dry, scrubby hills a few kilometres inland. Up there, among the pines, rosemary and limestone ledges near Cabanes, the Cova alta del Llidoner is one of the rock shelters with prehistoric paintings that belong to the World Heritage site of Levantine rock art. It is a quiet, unshowy place, more about the feel of the land than about anything you can photograph.
The landscape changes abruptly as you climb away from the sea. Behind Benicàssim rises the Desert de les Palmes, a natural park of rugged hills named after the dwarf palms that grow there and the Carmelite monastery, the desert in the sense of a place of retreat. Further north, the plain around Cabanes is dotted with olive and almond trees, and in Cabanes itself a single Roman arch stands alone in the fields beside the old Via Augusta, the road that ran along the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees to Cádiz.
The riding is surprisingly good. The coastal strip is busy and built up, but the roads that climb into the Desert de les Palmes are steep, winding and full of views over the sea. Inland, the roads towards Vilafamés, a hilltop village with a castle and a contemporary art museum, and onward into the mountains of the Maestrat, are quiet and twisting, with good surfaces. Summer heat and coastal traffic are the main drawbacks, so spring and autumn are ideal.
The coast here has its own natural treasure: the Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca, a wetland between the sea and the hills, home to many birds and a rare species of fish. The hills are covered with Mediterranean scrub, smelling of thyme and rosemary in the heat, and in spring they are full of wildflowers.
Oropesa del Mar, about four kilometres away, has fuel, restaurants and shops. Benicàssim and Castellón de la Plana are larger towns nearby with all services. The coast is famous for its rice dishes, and a good arroz a banda, rice cooked in fish stock, served with alioli, is the perfect end to a day in the saddle. The local oranges, sold at roadside stalls in winter, are superb.