Hay is still cut by hand in the hills of northern Transylvania, and the slopes near Ciceu-Poieni are as good a place as any to see why that matters. This is a country of steep meadows above small villages, with clumps of forest, plum trees along the lanes and the stone-and-wood houses of farmers who still keep a few cows and sheep. Vârful Osoiului is a hilltop name rather than a signed attraction, about four kilometres from Negrilești, and it works best as a way to understand the landscape between the Someș valley and the hills of the north.
In late June and July the meadows are mown with scythes and, increasingly, small mowers, and the cut grass dries in rows and is built into haystacks around a central pole, a shape that varies from village to village. The meadows are rich in flowers, orchids, sage, clover and campanulas, and this sort of traditional hay country is among the most species-diverse farmland in Europe, because it has never been ploughed or sprayed. Butterflies fill the air in summer, and corncrakes, once common across the continent, still rasp from the grass at night in some places.
The roads here wind along ridges and valleys with tight bends, short steep climbs and limited visibility. Surfaces vary a great deal. Main roads are mostly decent, but local ones can be patched or broken, and gravel and mud wash across after rain. Horses and carts, cattle, dogs and slow farm vehicles are common, and nobody is in a hurry, so match the pace. Dusk brings deer and wild boar to the verges.
Fuel is the limiting factor. Negrilești, with fewer than fifteen hundred people, is small, and the more reliable stations are in larger towns in the valley. Fill up beforehand and bring water. Food, when you find it, is hearty and unfussy: stuffed cabbage, polenta with sour cream and cheese, smoked sausages and sweet cheese pastries. A homestay in a village is often the best option for a meal.
Aim for late June or early July if you want the haymaking, or September for clear air and the first colour in the woods.