North of Valencia: The Costa del Alzahar

There’s not much else along the stretch of coast north of Benicàssim until you reach PEÑÍSCOLA, 60km away. The setting is one of Spain’s most stunning: a heavily fortified promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean, zealously shielding its warren of alleys and lanes with perfectly preserved medieval walls. Yet it’s also one of the starkest – immediately below the old walls, the requisite line of eyesore high-rises snakes out along the seafront like a besieging army.

The breezy Paseo Marítimo is a pleasant place from which to take in views of the sea, and the resort’s slender beach is well kept, if busy. The farther north you get from the castle, the quieter it becomes. There’s also a smaller cove beach, Playa Sur, 200m west of the old town.

MORELLA, 62km inland on the road from the coast to Zaragoza, is one of the most attractive – and possibly most friendly – towns in the Castellón province. A medieval fortress town, it rises from the plain around a small hill crowned by a tall, rocky spur and a virtually impregnable castle that dominates the surrounding countryside. A perfectly preserved ring of ancient walls defends its lower reaches. The city was recovered from the Moors in the thirteenth century by the steward of Jaime I. He was reluctant to hand it over to the Crown, and it’s said that the king came to blows with him over possession of the town. Today, Morella hosts an annual festival of classical music in the first two weeks of August.