In Baraolt you are more likely to hear Hungarian than Romanian. This small town lies in Covasna County, in the heart of the Székely Land, where the Székely Hungarian community has lived for centuries, with its own traditions, carved wooden gates, Calvinist and Catholic churches and a fierce sense of identity. Véczer, near Baraolt, is one of the points on the eastern frontier of Roman Dacia, where small forts and watchtowers watched over the passes through the eastern Carpathians, and it belongs to the Frontiers of the Roman Empire listing for Dacia, added by UNESCO in 2024.
The landscape around Baraolt is a mix of rolling hills, forests and small valleys, with the Baraolt mountains to the north and the Olt river winding through a gorge to the west. Near the village of Racoș, a short ride away, the remains of an extinct volcano have left columns of basalt and a small crater lake, a striking geological curiosity in the middle of the Transylvanian countryside. Lignite was mined around Baraolt for decades, leaving its mark on the town.
The riding here is relaxed and pleasant, with roads winding through hills, forests and villages, light traffic and generally decent surfaces, though potholes and patched sections are common on smaller roads. The Olt gorge near Augustin is a scenic stretch, where the river cuts between wooded hills. Watch for horse-drawn carts, livestock and pedestrians in villages, and for logging trucks on forest roads.
Baraolt, about five kilometres away, is a small town with fuel, shops and restaurants. Augustin and Căpeni are small villages with basic services. Food in Székely Land is Hungarian-influenced: goulash, paprika chicken, chimney cake, the sweet spiral pastry roasted over coals, and hearty soups with smoked meat. Local mineral water, from the many natural springs in the region, is excellent and often free from roadside wells.
June, with its hay meadows, and September, with its harvest, show the Székely hills at their best. Summer brings warmth and festivals, winter snow and cold. Ride slowly through the villages, admire the carved Székely gates with their inscriptions and decorations, and enjoy a corner of Romania where two cultures, and a Roman frontier, meet in quiet hills.