Morella

Morella announces itself from kilometres away: a lone hill in the highlands of northern Castellón, ringed by two kilometres of intact medieval wall, with a castle on the summit that has been fought over since the Iberians. It is the most spectacular walled town in the Valencian Community, and it earns the drive.

Inside the walls: arcaded Gothic streets, the basilica of Santa María with its carved spiral staircase - one of the finest Gothic interiors in Spain - and workshops still weaving the wool blankets the town has made for centuries. Up top, the castle climb pays out views over half the Maestrazgo.

This is highland Spain: black truffle country, cold-country cooking, and a history of sieges from the Reconquista to the Carlist wars. We take the whole day and use it well.