Morella has an unexpected claim to fame. The hills around it, in the high Els Ports country of northern Castellón, are among the most important dinosaur sites in Spain, and the town has a museum, Temps de Dinosaures, devoted to them. Fossil bones and tracks have been found here for decades, from the age when this high plateau was a floodplain. So the area has a double prehistory: the giants of the Cretaceous, and, much later, the small, red-painted hunters who left their pictures on the shelter walls.
The Cova del Barranquet, about four kilometres from Morella, belongs to the second kind. It carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain, and the ride ties it to the Cova de l'Escoda, another shelter in the district. The paintings are faint, and the cave is better as an excuse to walk in a remote and beautiful spot.
Morella itself is magnificent. The old town is ringed by more than two kilometres of medieval walls, with a castle on a crag above and a Gothic basilica with an elaborate stone choir inside. Arcaded streets run up and down the slope, and the shops sell local products: honey, cheese, sausages and the flaó, a sweet, aniseed-scented pastry. Black truffles are collected in the hills, and winter menus feature them.
The riding is some of the best in the Valencian Community. The road down to the coast, through a series of long, flowing bends in a high, empty landscape, is a classic of the region. Around Morella, the lanes are narrower and rougher, with gravel on corners and the occasional herd of sheep. In winter, frost and snow are possible, and Morella can be bitterly cold when the plain below is mild.
Morella has nearly three thousand people and fuel, food and lodging in plenty. Forcall and Cinctorres are smaller villages, good for a coffee. Bring a warm layer, even in summer, since the temperature drops quickly after sunset at altitude.