Truffles grow under the oaks of the Maestrat. The black truffle, Tuber melanosporum, favours the cool, limestone soils of the high plateaus of Castellón, Teruel and Tarragona, and in recent decades farmers have planted oak plantations to cultivate it, hoping for a crop that sells for a high price in winter. Dogs are trained to find it, . The Racó Molero, a ravine corner four or five kilometres from Benassal, is in the oak country, and the woods around it hold a mixture of holm oak, pine and juniper.
Benassal is one of the villages where the truffle has become part of local life, and in winter you may find it on the menu in bars and restaurants, grated over eggs or potatoes. The village also has a reputation for its springs, and its old streets, with houses of carved stone, are worth a stroll. Culla, ten kilometres away, and Villafranca del Cid, twelve kilometres off, offer more of the same, with a pleasant view over the plateau.
The ride up is exhilarating. The road crosses open plateau, with bends that curve gently between stone walls, and the surface is generally good. Fog and frost are possible in winter, and in spring the broom and rock rose bloom along the verges. Take care at dawn and dusk, when wild boar and deer may cross the road.
For fuel, go to Alcalà de Xivert, thirty-two kilometres away, as the villages on the plateau cannot be relied upon. The shelter is one of several in the Gasulla area, and visits are controlled, so ask in Benassal or at the museum in Tírig. Take water and walk gently.
Winter is the season to come for the food, and the price is the cold. From December to March the plateau can be raw, with frost on the verges and fog lying in the hollows, and the road above Benassal deserves a careful hand. A rider who is happy in the cold will find the villages warm and welcoming, with a fire in the bar and the smell of woodsmoke in the street, and a plate of something local waiting at the end of the day. In a quiet January the whole district feels like it belongs to the people who live there, which is a good way to see it.