R01 – Morella
Route
Description of the route
Are you starting to get in shape with your bike and you feel like going to Els Ports? We propose 3 villages: Morella, Forcall and Cinctorres.
You will ride through some of the traditional roads of the region of Els Ports in a short route, but with the inevitable hardness of being touring a region of the Cordillera Ibérica. From the start we take the CV14 towards Forcall in a comfortable stretch, with several kilometers of favorable false-flat. Take advantage of this stretch to enjoy Els Ports, its landscape and its fauna, because once you turn onto the CV124 to look for Cinctorres you will already find it steeper. They are not usual mountain passes, which will offer you some breaks in the effort. From Cinctorres to return to Morella you should regulate your effort, especially if you are starting to get in shape.
Although you will not find steep slopes, you will have to deal with 15 kilometers of up-and-down until you get back to the castle, whose geostrategic location you will understand better when you climb the last slope leading to the town.
Points of interest along the route
Cinctorres bell tower. Gate of the church of Morella 3. Arches of the main square of Cinctorres. Having coffee in the town. Narrow streets of the town.
On December 30, 1710 the troops of Philip V besieged the walled city of Morella, center of the region of Els Ports, from whose castle – raised in the 13th century on the rock of La Mola – the Habsburgs resisted the siege and the suffocation of the Bourbons during the following 62 days. On February 3, 1711, the day of San Blas, 2nd patron saint of Morella, the Bourbon troops of Philip V entered the city, closed the war campaign in the Kingdom of Valencia and put on track their victory in the War of Spanish Succession, which began the Bourbon Kingdom in Spain.
Morella is one of the most impressive municipalities in the province of Castellón. Capital of a region with its own idiosyncrasy as Els Ports, and located more than 900 meters above sea level, its intact medieval appearance (its walls and castle) takes us suddenly to the War of Succession, to the 1st Carlist War, or to so many historical moments that had Morella as its stage.
But not only stands out for its historical heritage. The second great value that we will discover riding a bike through Morella and Els Ports will be the mountainous orography. Together with the Maestrat, Els Ports is the beginning of the southern part of the Iberian Mountain Range. As we move away from Morella (either to face the assumable route through Forcall and Castellfort or the very hard stage to Cantavieja through Villafranca) we can enjoy Els Ports in its fullness, mountain roads, villages still inhabited between the mountain and the ravines. Morella is an absolute paradise for cycling. The gastronomy of Morella is another of its great charms. The great culinary attraction is the Morella truffle, which grows in the roots of the holm oaks in the area from December to March. Livestock, the historical engine of the region until the expansion of tourism, also offers native meats that are highly valued by any tourist. A good option to explore the gastronomic offer of Morella is the restaurant Vinatea, in Blasco de Alagón Street, which without a restrictive price offers some of the best dishes of the municipality. You can also try the varied menu offered by Daluan (Callejón Cárcel,4) where the truffle is the mainstay of its cuisine. The best option to spend a weekend in Morella is to choose one of the rural houses that have been opened during the last decade in the town. Charming mountain houses accessible to almost any budget, such as Hotel Rey Don Jaime (Juan Giner, 6), located in the heart of the city with mountain views. If you have a little more budget we recommend Hotel Cardenal Ram (Cuesta Suñer,1), built in an old palace of the sixteenth century.
The Church of Santa Maria: The Archpriestly Church of Santa Maria is a Gothic building that contains original stained glass windows of the Valencian school of the fourteenth century
Ermita de Santa Llúcia i Sant Llacer: The brotherhood of Sant Llacer, founded in 1280, built this chapel in 1286 for the assistance of leporosos.
Morella Castle: castle built on a rock, which together with its long history was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931.
Prehistoric cavesof Morella La Vella (cave paintings World Heritage Site).
Hotel Rey Don Jaime (Juan Giner, 6): located in the heart of the city with mountain views.
Hotel Cardenal Ram (Cuesta Suñer, 1): built in an old palace from the 16th century.
