The high plateau of northern central Anatolia is a country of rolling hills and red-brown fields, cut by shallow river valleys and scattered with oak scrub. Kayalı Boğaz lies in the rocky ground near the village of Boğazkale, in the district of Çorum, though the scouting label says Cappadocia, which is a good way to the south. This is the heartland of the Hittites, the Bronze Age people who ruled a large part of Anatolia from their capital Hattusha, a short distance away, and the area is dotted with outcrops, gorges and fortified hilltops where they built shrines, dams and lookouts.
The riding is quiet and rewarding in an unshowy way. The roads here are narrow farm tracks and secondary tarmac, with long views across steppe, shallow valleys with poplars and a surprising amount of birdlife, including eagles and kites. Surface quality varies, with potholes and loose gravel where tractors have dragged mud onto the road, so keep your speed modest. Little traffic and almost no tourists outside the summer months make it a place to take your time.
Practical things need planning. The nearest bigger towns are Yozgat, Alaca and Sungurlu, each about twenty-five kilometres away, and Boğazkale itself is a small village with a few pensions and restaurants close to the ruins. Fill the tank in one of the towns before you head out, carry water and snacks, and be prepared for sun and wind with little shade. In winter this plateau is cold and snowy, and the roads can ice up, while in July and August it is dry and hot.
The light is the best thing about the place. In the early morning and late afternoon, the long shadows pick out every fold in the hills, and the colours of the stone shift from gold to rose. A dinner of lentil soup, grilled meat and fresh bread in a village guesthouse, with the sound of dogs and sheep bells outside, rounds off the day.