In Valencian, a cirerer is a cherry tree, and the name of El Cireral suggests an old cherry orchard or a place where wild cherries once grew. That fits the high country around Benassal, where the nights are cool and the fruit trees do well. The shelter lies about five kilometres from the town, in the dry hills of the Alt Maestrat, and carries painting in the Levantine tradition, protected by UNESCO as part of the rock art of the Mediterranean basin in Spain. The ride links it with a site called Calçaes del Matá, and with the Arenal de la Fonseca.
Benassal is a nice town to stop in. It sits on a shelf of high land, at over seven hundred metres, and its old centre has stone arcades, Gothic doorways and a pleasant square. The water from its springs is bottled and sold across the region, and in the past the town was a summer retreat for wealthy families from the coast. Culla, to the east, still has the ruins of a Templar castle on its hill, and Villafranca del Cid, to the south-west, is the larger town of the district.
The country around is a mix of pasture, scrub and rock, with long views to the ridges of the Maestrat and the distant hump of Penyagolosa. Spring brings wild flowers and the smell of thyme, and in autumn the oaks turn bronze. The nights are cool even in summer.
The riding is excellent. Roads wind through the valleys and across the plateau in a series of bends, with decent surfaces on the main links and rougher ones on the lanes. Traffic is light, and the views at the crests are worth a stop. A stretch of the main road down towards Morella is a favourite of local motorcyclists. Winter can be cold, with frost and occasional snow.
Benassal, with about thirteen hundred people, may not have fuel to hand, and Villafranca del Cid, with over twenty-five hundred, is the safer choice. Alcalà de Xivert, about thirty-three kilometres away, is the large town on the plain. Pack water and a warm layer.