The high, folded country behind the Valencian coast, the Maestrat, has long been a land of isolated farms, stone walls and windy ridges, and it is one of the least known parts of eastern Spain. La Cova dels Tolls Alts lies five kilometres from Albocàsser, in limestone hills dotted with holm oak, pine and almond, where the ravines run down toward the lowlands and the sea. The name means cave of the high pools, a reminder that water, even in this dry region, is what makes a place habitable.
The area is rich in prehistoric rock art, belonging to the Mediterranean Basin tradition that UNESCO listed in 1998. The ravines of the Valltorta and the Gasulla, a short distance away, hold some of the best-known examples, and the museum at Tírig explains them well.
Albocàsser itself is a village of about fourteen hundred people with a long stone-built centre, and nearby Cuevas de Vinromà and Catí are similar in size. These are places where old men still sit in the shade and the pace of life is slow. Farming, olives, almonds and sheep have shaped the landscape, and the stone huts and drystone walls of the hills are part of the pattern, built over centuries by shepherds and farmers.
For riders the region offers quiet, flowing roads over low passes, through valleys of orchards and across open uplands, with enough bends to be interesting but no great drama. The surface is mostly good, and there is little traffic once you leave the main routes. Wind can sweep across the plateaus, and in winter the nights are cold and frosty, though snow is rare at this altitude. Villages are small, so keep the tank full, and know that Cuevas de Vinromà or Albocàsser are the likely places for fuel.
Local cooking includes lamb, rabbit with snails, rice cooked in a pan, and cured meats, with good olive oil and local honey. The ride joins this cave with the Abric de la Tenalla and the Mas d'en Badenes, a pleasant circuit of small roads. Spring is green and cool, and autumn brings softer light.