The Gasulla ravine near Ares del Maestrat is among the best places in Spain to understand why Levantine rock art matters. Cova Remigia sits on the rim of that gorge, a cliff-lined cut through the limestone of the Maestrat, and it is where Juan Bautista Porcar, a local priest and amateur archaeologist, recognised the paintings in the 1930s that made the area famous. The panels show archers, hunters and animals in a lively dark red, in scenes of movement that do not look like anything else from the period.
On a motorcycle the approach is part of the draw. The roads here run between Ares, Benassal and Culla over high country, farmed in terraces and fenced with dry-stone walls. Corners are frequent and well-judged, if sometimes tight, the climbing is gradual, and you come over each crest to find another wide view of grey rock and green pines. Culla, with its ruined castle that once belonged to the Templars, is only a short ride on and is a lovely place for coffee, on a ridge that feels remote even in August.
Benassal, five kilometres away, is the sensible base. It has a handful of places to eat, a reputation for spring water and truffles from the surrounding oak woods, and a sleepy main street of old stone houses. It is a small town, though, so do not expect to find fuel at midnight. Alcalà de Xivert, thirty-three kilometres off towards the sea, is the sure thing; Vilafranca, about twelve kilometres away, is a smaller alternative.
Be ready for fencing and, in places, for restricted access, because the paintings are fragile. The Parc Cultural of Valltorta-Gasulla manages the area, and the Valltorta museum is the right place to ask which shelters can be visited. Do not touch the rock, and do not sprinkle water on the paintings to see them better, which, regrettably, people have done and which ruins them. A morning start gives the best light on the ravine wall and spares you the worst of the summer heat.