Culla stands on a hilltop in the interior of Castellón, a medieval village of stone houses and narrow lanes wrapped around the remains of a castle. In the thirteenth century, after the Christian conquest, the area was granted to the Knights Templar, and later to the Order of Montesa, which explains the old walls and the sense of a place built for defence. Below the village, among the ravines and terraces, the rock shelter of Els Covarxos holds prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO site of Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Like many such shelters, it is protected and not easy to find on your own; enquire locally before setting off on foot.
The landscape is high and rugged, with limestone plateaus, deep valleys, pine and holm oak woods and stone terraces built over centuries. To the south-west rises Penyagolosa, the highest peak in the province, a striking limestone summit visible from far away. Every spring, pilgrims walk from the village of Les Useres to the sanctuary of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa in a long procession that has continued for centuries.
Culla is one of the most beautiful villages in the region and has been carefully restored, with small museums and views over the surrounding mountains. Nearby Benassal is known for its mineral water spring, and Vilafranca for its tradition of dry-stone walls.
The riding is superb, with twisting roads across plateaus, plunging into valleys and climbing to villages perched on ridges. Bends are tight and frequent, gradients steep and surfaces generally good, though some minor roads are narrow and patched. Traffic is light except on summer weekends, and you will often have the road to yourself. Weather at altitude is changeable, with cold winters, occasional snow and fog, and hot but fresh summers. Watch for gravel, livestock and wild boar, especially at dawn and dusk.
Fuel is scarce in this part of the mountains. The nearest larger town listed is l'Alcora, about thirty-four kilometres away, so fill up before heading into the hills and keep an eye on the gauge. Village bars offer simple, filling meals, often with local lamb, sausages, cheese and bread, and a glass of wine on a terrace with a view across the valleys is the right way to end the day.