Vârful Cigleanului is a hilltop above the Someș valley in Sălaj, in that mild, folded part of northwestern Romania where the land rises in wooded ridges toward the Meseș mountains. The name simply means the peak of the Ciglean, and like many hill labels in Transylvania it points to an old vantage point more than a famous summit. The ground is orchard and pasture on the lower slopes, oak and beech on the higher, and on a clear day the view runs along the river toward Jibou.
Jibou, about six kilometres away, is the anchor of the district and well worth a stop. It has a baroque-era castle that belonged to the Wesselényi family, and beside it a botanical garden that has grown on the park since the twentieth century, with greenhouses and shaded avenues, the kind of place a rider can wander for an hour in boots without feeling out of place. The Someș river runs through the town, and the old road along its banks was an important route for salt and grain between Transylvania and the north.
The riding is gently engaging. The road out of town climbs through small villages such as Creaca and Mirșid, with curves that are open enough to enjoy without constant braking, and gradients that rarely bite. The surface is a mix of good and tired asphalt, and after rain mud can come off the fields at field gates. Traffic is light apart from the odd timber truck and slow farm vehicles, and you may meet a horse and cart on a corner now and then. Spring brings blossom on the orchards and a green that feels almost aggressively fresh; October is warm gold, and the air smells of apples and woodsmoke.
The local tradition here is plum brandy, called țuică, and small family makers will press a glass on you if you stop long enough; politely decline if you are riding. For fuel and food go to Jibou, which is large enough for pumps, shops, cafés and a couple of places that serve grilled meat and hearty soup. There is no obvious facility at the summit itself, so take what you need before you climb. The place is a quiet reward for the extra ten minutes on a side road.