Just behind Castelló de la Plana, where the coastal plain meets the first hills, the ravine of La Joquera cuts into the limestone near the village of Borriol. Its shelters hold prehistoric paintings, part of the UNESCO-listed rock art of the Mediterranean basin, and the area has been studied for its archaeology for decades. It is unusual to find such ancient art so close to a large modern city, and the contrast between the busy plain below, with its orange groves, factories and motorways, and the quiet hills above is striking.
Castelló is the capital of the northern province of the Valencian region, a busy, working city with a long history in ceramics and tiles, and the plain around it is one of the main centres of tile production in Europe. The city celebrates the Festes de la Magdalena every spring, a week of parades, fireworks and bonfires commemorating the founding of the city, when its people moved down from the hill of the Magdalena to the plain in the thirteenth century. Off the coast, the Columbretes islands, a volcanic archipelago, are a protected nature reserve, reachable by boat in summer.
The riding in the hills behind Castelló is a pleasant surprise. The Desert de les Palmes, a range of hills just north of the city, is a natural park with a Carmelite monastery, winding roads, and views over the plain and the sea. The road up to the monastery and the summit of the Bartolo, with its cross and antennas, is steep and twisty, with tight hairpins and spectacular views. Further inland, the roads lead into the Maestrat and the Alcalatén, with quiet mountain roads, small villages and the peak of Penyagolosa. Cyclists are common, especially on weekends, and the roads can be busy close to the city.
Borriol, about a kilometre away, is a small town with fuel and shops, and Castelló has everything you could need. The local food includes rice dishes, seafood from the port of El Grau, and the famous oranges, as well as the sweet pastries made for the Magdalena festival. The climate is mild, with hot summers and warm winters, and the sea breeze keeps the coast cooler in the afternoons. Inland, the hills can be much hotter in summer and colder in winter.