A cova gran is a big cave, and in the limestone of the Alt Maestrat that is an easy thing to find. This whole upland is karst, pale rock that rain has been dissolving for millions of years, leaving ravines, sinkholes, springs that vanish underground and a good number of overhangs deep enough to sleep under. The Cova Gran del Puntal sits about six kilometres from Albocàsser in the ravine that the rides call the Barranco Hondo, the deep one, and it belongs to the family of Levantine rock-art shelters that UNESCO has listed across eastern Spain. Paintings of this kind sit in shallow recesses rather than in the dark depths of a cave, so do not expect Altamira. Expect a modest rock wall, a lot of faded red, and a very good view down the gully.
Caves in this country are not just prehistoric. Shepherds have sheltered in them for centuries, kept goats in them, and in lean times hidden grain in them. Some have walls of stacked stone built across the mouth, turning a hollow into a pen. You can sometimes see where soot has blackened the ceiling. In the evening, swifts and bats use the same cracks, and the air smells of warm stone and wild herbs.
Reaching the area on a motorbike is a matter of patience. The lanes out of Albocàsser are narrow and sinuous, twisting between almond and olive terraces, with short climbs and drops, blind corners, and a patched surface that often carries gravel. The rewards are the views across the ravine and the near-total lack of traffic. A walking path leads the final stretch, and in dry weather it is easy enough, though loose stones demand some care.
Albocàsser has under fourteen hundred people and is the nearest settlement, with Les Coves de Vinromà and Catí a short way beyond. None of them is large enough for me to promise fuel at a convenient hour, so fill the tank at Alcalà de Xivert, down on the coastal plain, before climbing. Late spring and early autumn bring the best weather, clear and mild. In midsummer the stone throws back the heat, and a cave mouth in the shade is the best place to be at noon.