Câmpeni lies in the Apuseni Mountains of western Transylvania, in a high, wooded valley cut by the river Arieș. This is Țara Moților, the land of the Moți, a highland people known for their woodcraft, their wooden buckets and troughs, and a long history of rugged independence. The town is small, about eight thousand people, but it is the capital of the area, and it carries more history than its size suggests.
In 1848, during the Transylvanian revolution, a young lawyer named Avram Iancu led a force of Romanian peasants in these mountains, defending them against Hungarian troops, and he remains a national hero. Câmpeni was his base, and a memorial and a small museum recall him. The region also has gold in its story: Roman miners dug into these hills, and the mining villages around Roșia Montană, not far away, have been worked for two millennia.
The riding is the draw. From Câmpeni the main road runs up the Arieș valley toward Arieșeni, climbing through spruce forest and pastures with a sequence of twisty bends, sometimes with a broken edge or a patch of loose gravel, and passes little farms with haystacks stacked on poles. Beyond lies the Bihor massif, with karst plateaus, sinkholes and caves, including the Scărișoara ice cave, one of the largest underground glaciers in Europe. Bring a warm layer; it can feel cold even in summer when the clouds close in.
Fuel is available in town, and since service stations in the mountains are few, tank up before heading higher. The local food is simple and filling: smoked sausages, polenta with sheep cheese and sour cream, and homemade plum brandy, which hosts may press on you with great generosity.
Traffic is light, apart from the occasional horse cart and trucks hauling timber. Late spring has wildflowers and waterfalls full from the melt, while autumn brings gold in the beech woods. Winter snow can close high stretches for a while.