Between Dej and Jibou the Someș river squeezes through a narrow, winding valley, with the railway, the road and the river taking turns to cross each other. On the hills above, near the village of Glod and the larger villages of Rus and Ileanda, the Romans kept a watch on the north-western edge of Dacia, and Toaca Glodului is one of their watchtower positions, among the components of UNESCO's Dacian frontier listing. Toaca is the name of the wooden board struck in Romanian monasteries to call the monks to prayer, and the hill may owe its name to its shape or to some long-forgotten story.
This is a quiet corner of Transylvania, on the border between the counties of Sălaj and Maramureș, with hills covered in beech and oak, meadows and orchards, and villages of a few thousand people strung along the valley. To the north, the Lăpuș country, Țara Lăpușului, is one of the most traditional regions of Romania, with wooden churches and villages where life still follows the seasons. The Someș, swollen in spring, slows to a lazy green river in summer, and herons stand in the shallows.
The riding is relaxed and pretty. The valley road follows the river with gentle curves, and traffic is light, apart from the occasional truck and the horse carts that are still common here. Side roads climb into the hills toward Lăpuș and the Țibleș mountains, with more curves, steeper gradients and rougher surfaces. Watch for potholes and gravel, and for dogs that take an interest in motorcycles. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild weather and beautiful colours. Summer can be hot, and winter brings snow and ice.
The villages along the valley have small shops, and Ileanda has a few services, but for reliable fuel it is best to fill up in Dej or Târgu Lăpuș before heading into the hills. Local cooking is simple and hearty: soups, polenta, cheese, smoked bacon and plum brandy. The watchtower site itself is on a hill, reached by a walk through fields and forests, and there is little to see beyond earthworks. But the view over the Someș valley is lovely, and the silence of the hills is the real reward.