The rock art in the Cueva de Doña Clotilde, in the pine forests outside Albarracín, is a little different from the typical Levantine scenes. Painted in white or pale colours rather than the usual red, the figures include schematic human shapes and animals, and they sit on the red sandstone of the Rodeno, a landscape of rust-coloured rocks and maritime pines that is now protected as a cultural park. The shelter is part of the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin listing, and the Rodeno is full of painted shelters, several of which, like the bulls of the Prado del Navazo, can be visited along marked paths.
Albarracín itself is one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, a medieval settlement of pink and ochre houses clinging to a rocky spur above a loop of the Guadalaviar river, surrounded by walls that climb the hillside above. It was the capital of a small Moorish kingdom in the eleventh century and later an independent lordship, and its narrow streets, wooden balconies and overhanging houses look almost untouched by time. In winter, snow and frost add to its magic; in summer, it fills with visitors.
The roads around Albarracín are superb for riding. The road from Teruel climbs through farmland and then enters the gorge of the Guadalaviar, with the town appearing suddenly on its rock. Beyond, the roads through the Sierra de Albarracín, towards the source of the Tagus and the Montes Universales, are quiet, winding and spectacular, through pine forests, limestone gorges and high meadows. Surfaces are good, traffic is light, and the air is fresh even in summer, though winters are harsh.
Teruel, twenty-five kilometres away, is the provincial capital, famous for its Mudéjar towers and the legend of the Lovers of Teruel, and it has fuel and everything else. Albarracín has restaurants, bars and hotels, and its cooking includes local ham from Teruel, lamb and migas, fried breadcrumbs with sausage. Bring warm clothing even in spring, as the altitude makes the nights cold.