On the hill above Hurez, the best company is a buzzard. The oak and hornbeam woods of the Meses hills, with their patches of meadow and scrub, support plenty of birds of prey, and on a warm day you can watch them circle on thermals, calling thinly. Roe deer step out at dawn and dusk, wild boar leave rooted ground in the woods, and foxes cross the lanes, while in spring the meadows fill with orchids, cowslips and wild garlic. The hills are rich in life partly because the old farming methods, with hand-mown hay and grazing, have kept the meadows open and varied.
La Frapsin, at Dealul Boului, is one of a series of spots on the frontier ridge of Roman Dacia, the line of towers and forts that now make up a World Heritage property, and the word coast in the label suggests the slope on the side of the hill.
The way in is by country lanes that thread among the hills, and the riding is slow and pleasant rather than fast. The roads have patches and pot holes, and gravel in places, and a medium-sized bike with some ground clearance is the right tool. Mist often lies in the valleys in the early morning, and burns off by ten, leaving a clear, soft light, while in summer thunderstorms build in the afternoon and break over the ridge. Be careful of ticks in the long grass if you walk, and wear boots rather than trainers.
Crasna, fifteen kilometres to the east, is the nearest place with fuel and food, and Zalau is the next choice for anything bigger. Carry water and something to eat, as the villages are small and the shops are few. At the end of the day, a cold beer on a village bench, with the sun going down over the hay, is hard to beat. The best seasons are late spring, when the meadows bloom, and early autumn, when the woods turn copper and the air is clear.