Edition 2020 - Morella Circular route - La Igl. del Cid La Igl. del Cid La Igl. La Igl. del Cid del Cid 1400 Morella 1200 Morella 1000 800 600 www.caminodelcid.org Bicycle Touring Guide for The Way of El Cid 0 km 20 40 60 80 100 400 UTM Desarrollos 200 0 This is a demanding two-day route that runs along the Maestrazgo area in and 600 Cumulative ascent 2.420 m Castellón. This vast region is characterized by its high mountain ranges and very well Distance 104 km Physical difficulty Medium preserved medieval towns. Its two epicenters are as follows: , where El Cid Estimated time 5002 días Cumulative descent 2.420 m Technical difficulty Low

is said to have placed an “eagle’s nest”; and Morella, an unassailable fortress, which El Cid Fact Sheet 400 did not manage to conquer (but cyclists will be able to do so using their bicycles). 300 Morella, the unassailable fortress What there is to see? Information for bicycle tourists Weather 200 El Cid is known to have visited the Morella area on several It is hard to find a route that matches El Anillo de Morella. Cyclists will This nice touring cyclist stage includes a challenging climb in The fact that this is a high region together with its abrupt occasions, acting initially in the interests of the Taifa of Zaragoza and encounter a vast wealth of history, nature and art packed into a between and Iglesuela100 del Cid. orography influences the mountainous Mediterranean climate later in his own, although the lack of data prevents us from determi- fascinating 100 km-route. El Maestrazgo is one of the most spectacu- of the Maestrazgo area. Winters are cold and tough. Snow falls 0 frequently and it can last for several days. Summers are mild, ning the exact locations. The legend surrounding this route revolves lar and challenging areas for bicycle tourists on The Way of El Cid. Road surface condition and traffic around Olocau del Rey: after being cast into exile by Alphonse VI, El This vast mountainous territory, which remained in the hands of the This section contains information about hard shoulders, road with great day and night temperature difference. That is the Cid became the military leader of the Taifa of Zaragoza. This taifa Moors until the 12th century, stretches out across the provinces of surfaces, traffic lanes and traffic volume. Note that the reason why we highly recommend that you carry with you was governed by al-Mutamin, who was at war with his brother Teruel and Castellón. The monarchs of conquered these lands condition of hard shoulders and road surfaces can vary winter clothes and windbreakers. As a result of the closeness al-Mundir, Prince of Lerida, and the Count of Barcelona, Ramón with the aid of the Knights Templar, who received them as their depending on maintenance work, which means that there of this area to the Mediterranean Sea, rainfall is common in the Eastern watershed; it is especially heavy in the autumn Berenguer II. In the light of this situation, the Morella region became reward. As a result, they fell under the jurisdiction of the Grand Master may be some improvements that are not recorded here. and at the end of spring. an area of great strategic importance. of this order, hence their name. It is for this reason that the route is Traffic alerts are subjective for they are based on the authors’ In 1083, whilst in the service of al-Mutamin, El Cid launched wave dotted with castles steeped in the history of the Knights Templar, experience and may vary depending on the period of the year after wave of attacks against the territories belonging to the Taifa of such as those of or . and the days of the week (for example, weekends and bank Lerida. Additionally, he rebuilt Alolala Castle (possibly Olocau del This route reveals some of the most fascinating towns of El holidays). Maestrazgo. They can be accessed via quiet roads, which will surely Rey), which is situated just a short distance from Morella, and spent Consorcio Camino del Cid the winter with his men. During the same campaign he attacked delight even the most demanding cyclists. del Cid, C/ Madrid 24, 09001 Burgos Morella Castle, although he did not manage to conquer it. He Cantavieja, Mirambel and Morella have all been declared historic returned to this area on several other occasions. In 1090, he faced and/or artistic sites. The breathtakingly steep and mountainous the coalition formed by the Prince of Lerida and the Count of landscape seems to have been carved out of stone. Cyclists will also MIRAMBEL Use this QR code to access website content relating to encounter grassland, meadows and scrubland dotted with pine the road bicycle tour section of Morella Circular Route. Barcelona in a battle fought in Tévar, from which he emerged You can download all relevant information: maps, victorious. This battle is considered one of the major events in the groves and kermes oaks. Over the centuries the hand of man has topo-guides, tracks, list of accommodations, passport life of El Cid. Victory allowed him to extend his power and influence tenaciously made its mark on the scenery: countless walls, terraces stamping offices, tourist offices, etc. over lands that had been under the protection of the Count of and huts have been built using the ancient dry stone technique. Barcelona until then, further enhancing his reputation as a soldier. Nowadays, they are a further attraction for travellers. The Poem of the Cid also refers to this battle, dedicating numerous verses to the narration of this event. Although the exact location of The Passport the battle is unknown, many scholars believe that it took place in the The Passport is an identification card used by travellers to collect stamps pine forest of Pereroles, situated off our route some 25 km north from the towns and villages along their way. If this identification card is of Morella, between La Pobla d'Alcolea and . shown at any of the 200 accommodation facilities belonging to The Way of El Cid route, you can get a minimum of 10% off. The Passport is free and you can get it either at a Tourist Office or at our office: Consorcio Camino del Cid C/ Madrid 24, 09002 Burgos El Consorcio Camino del Cid es una entidad promovida y financiada por las siguientes Diputaciones provinciales: [email protected] Tel.: +34 947 256 240 Diputación de Burgos Stage Km 0 Exit: leave from Calle Fuentenueva Morella Circular route  Bicycle Touring Guide for The Way of El Cid (414 pop.) 1 To (A-2726) Crossing: continue straight riding along A-227 (towards Cantavieja / Teruel) SeptemberEdition A-227 20202019 La Iglesuela del Cid - Morella Dry stone Hard shoulder: Yes (narrow) km

architecture 11,1 Road surface: good surface

Road Traffic lanes: 2 A-227 This route reveals some of the most fascinating towns of El Traffic: low traffic 1. La Iglesuela del Cid - Morella Cantavieja (657 pop.)  Km 11,1 Maestrazgo, which can be accessed via quiet roads. They will 2. Morella - La Iglesuela del Cid Crossing inside the city centre: continue straight riding To /Teruel (A-226) surely cause delight even to the most demanding cyclists. The along A-226 (towards Mirambel) breathtakingly steep and mountainous landscape seems to A-226 km

14,3 Canyons of the river Cantavieja have been carved out of stone. The area has very salient River Cantavieja Paved rural path leading to features, which are indicative of its long history. Morella is the

deferred compensation for effort; conquering its spectacular Hard shoulder: Yes 1500 Mirambel Km 25 medieval fortress, will require making a final effort, which is Road surface: good surface 1400

Road Traffic lanes: 2 Teruel A-226 worth the climb. (99 pop.)  1300 Traffic: low traffic Castellón 1200 To La Mata / (CV-120) Crossing: turn left and ride along CV-121 (towards Olocau del Rey) Olocau del Rey 110 0 Olocau del Rey

del Cid Cantavieja 1000 Cantavieja CV-121

Morella Hard shoulder: No Mirambel 900 [ San Marcos chapel ] Road surface: evenness La Iglesuela Todolella Todolella Road Traffic lanes: 2 800 CV-121 Forcall Forcall Traffic: low traffic

700 7,9 km

600 0 km 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 Crossing: entrance to the town

500 Distance 62,6 km Cumulative ascent 1.150 m Estimated time 6 h Olocau del Rey Km 33,4 To Tronchón (CV-123) 400 (83 pop.) 300 Difficulty Medium Cumulative descent 1.500 m Type of route Circular (2 stages)  To Bordón (CV-121) 200 Detour: turn right and ride along CV-122 (towards Todolella)

Fact Sheet Signposting Yes Difficulty index 106 RDB Road surface Asphalt pavement 100 CV-122 Hard shoulder: No 0 km bad surface

12,6 Road surface:

Road Traffic lanes: 1 Todolella Km 45 CV-122 Traffic: very low traffic (91 pop.)  Paved path leading to Forcall To La Mata (CV-120) Crossing: turn left CV-120 (towards Forcall)

CV-120 Hard shoulder: No River Cantavieja Road surface: good surface

Road Traffic lanes: 2 CV-120

4,5 km Traffic: low traffic Paved path leading to Todolella To Cinctorres (CV-124) Crossing inside the city centre: continue straight (towards Morella / Ortells) Forcall (434 hab.)  Km 50,3 CV-124 River Caldes

Crossing: turn right CV-14 (towards Morella) To Zorita (CV-14) CV-14 Hard shoulder: Yes

km good surface 12,6 Road surface:

Road Traffic lanes: 2 To Cinctorres / Portell de Morella (por CV-125) CV-14 Traffic: low traffic To Vinaros / Zaragoza (C-14 y N-232) Detour: turn left and ride along road CV-1170 (towards Morella) so as to access the town through San Mateo gate Morella Km 62,9 (1.975 pop.)  View of the castle-palace of Todolella, in the high part of the town Stage Km 0 Exit: leave from the gate of San Miguel and then descend Morella Circular route along road CV-117, heading towards road N-232 Bicycle Touring Guide for The Way of El Cid Morella 2  Morella, a historical Edition (1.975 pop.) September and artistic town 20192020 Morella - La Iglesuela del Cid CV-117 Detour: take the right lane of road N-232 To Zaragoza / Alcañiz (N-232) (towards Vinaròs) 1. La Iglesuela del Cid - Morella This is a short but demanding stage. There are steep slopes, which will force cyclists to ride more slowly. However, this N-232

2. Morella - La Iglesuela del Cid 3,9 km allows enjoying the amazing views. The mountain landscape is Hard shoulder: Yes To Morella (puerta de San Mateo) made of grasslands, meadows and scrubland dotted with pine Road surface: good surface

Road Traffic lanes: 3 N-232 and kermes oak tree groves. Only the most flat and accessible Traffic: heavy traffic areas are cultivated. You will see many drystone walls and Barrio Hostal Nuevo Km 3,9 terraces, which are a reminder that there was a time when Detour: turn right and ride along CV-14 (towards Zorita) To Vinaròs (N-232)

terrace1500 farming was used for cultivation purposes. CV-14 Hard shoulder: Yes 1400 Towards Morella (San Mateo gate) Road surface: good surface 1300 Road Traffic lanes: 2 along road CV-1170 CV-14 1200 Traffic: low traffic

110 0 To Forcall / Zorita (por CV-14) Detour: turn left and ride along CV-125 (towards

Morella 1000 del Cid Cinctorres / Portell) Cinctorres Cinctorres CV-125

900 Morella km La Iglesuela 14,7 Barrio Hostal Nuevo Hostal Nuevo Barrio Barrio

de Portell 800 Moll Path meadow

700 0 km 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 To Forcall (camino asfaltado) Towards Ares / Villafranca (along Caná Path) 600

Distance 41,3 km Cumulative500 ascent 1.275 m Estimated time 4 h 50 m River Caldes 400 Difficulty Medium Cumulative descent 950 m Type of route Circular (2 stages) To Forcall (CV-124) 300 Km 18,6 Fact Sheet Signposting Yes Difficulty200 index 98 RDB Road surface Asphalt pavement Cinctorres (396 pop.) 

100 Crossing: continue straight along road CV-125 To (CV-124)

0 (towards Portell de Morella) [ Coll de la Creu del Gelat (1231 m) ] km 10,9 Bovalar wilderness

Crossing: entrance to the town Rambla de Celumbres Portell de Morella Km 29,4 wilderness (186 pop.)  No [ eolico park ] Hard shoulder: Road surface: good and irregular stretches

Road Traffic lanes: 2 Teruel CV-14 Traffic: low traffic Castellón

A-2706 11,8 km [ Pass of Cabrillas (1320 m) ]

Cabrillas lookout Hard shoulder: No Road surface: bad surface

Road Traffic lanes: 1 A-2706 Traffic: very low traffic La Iglesuela del Cid Km 41,2 (414 hab.)  Los muros de piedra seca forman parte del paisaje del Maestrazgo The Way of El Cid Bicycle Touring Guide Bicycle Touring route N BTT / MTB route Camino de Santiago Singular roads

Castle www.caminodelcid.org Church, chapel, monastery... National road Provincial road Local road

Scale 1:150.000

0 1 2 3 4 5 km

 Passport offices T E R U E L CANTAVIEJA ■ OFICINA DE TURISMO: C/ Mayor, 14 - 964185414 / 678340228 AYUNTAMIENTO: Pl. Cristo Rey, 1 - 964185001 LA IGLESUELA DEL CID ■ OFICINA DE TURISMO: C/ Mayor, 1 - 964443325 HOSPEDERÍA PALACIO DE LA IGLESUELA: C/Ondevilla, 4 - 964185001 C A S T E L L Ó N CINCTORRES ■ OFICINA DE TURISMO: Carrer Nou, 6 - 964181428 FORCALL ■ OFICINA DE TURISMO: Pl. Mayor, 26 - 964171290 Services HS AGUILAR: Avda. Tercer Centenario, 1 - 964171106 H PALAU DELS OSSET: Pl. Mayor, 16 - 964171180 Passport stamping offices MORELLA ■ OFICINA DE TURISMO: Pl. San Miguel, s/n - 964173032 Accommodation OLOCAU DEL REY (hotel, hostel,...) AYUNTAMIENTO: Pl. Constitución, 1 - 964178417 HS MESÓN DEL REY: Pl. Constitución, 3 - 964178481 Welcome point PORTELL DE MORELLA AYUNTAMIENTO: C/ Major, 8 - 964178779 City information centre HS EL PORTELL: C/ Camino Maset, 1 - 651770895 Chemist’s TODOLELLA  HS EL GUERRER: C/ Carretera, 7 - 964171056 Train station Repair shops