Somewhere between Dealul Mare and Arsură, two wooded hills above the village of Hurez in Sălaj county, the Roman frontier of Dacia ran along the heights, marked by watchtowers and small earthworks that are now almost hidden by forest. Together with the towers further north on the Meseș ridge, they formed a line that looked west towards the lands beyond the empire, and they were included in the World Heritage listing of the Dacian frontier in 2024. Finding the remains requires a map and some determination; the reward is a sense of how thinly Rome stretched its soldiers across these hills.
A short ride south, the village of Ciucea sits on the Crișul Repede river at the edge of the Apuseni mountains. Its small castle belonged first to the Hungarian poet Endre Ady and later to the Romanian poet and politician Octavian Goga, who is buried nearby in a striking mausoleum, and the estate is now a memorial museum. Two poets of two nations in the same house says a lot about the history of this region, where Hungarian and Romanian cultures have lived side by side for centuries.
The main road between Cluj and Oradea, part of the E60, runs through Ciucea along the Crișul Repede valley, and it is busy, with heavy trucks and fast cars, so take care. The lanes that climb towards Hurez and Cizer are quiet, narrow and winding, through forests and small villages, with rough patches and occasional gravel. The Crișul Repede gorge, west of Ciucea, is a dramatic stretch, with the river cutting through limestone cliffs.
Huedin, a market town seventeen kilometres east, is where to refuel; Ciucea has a few small shops and places to eat. The area is known for its traditional crafts, including pottery and weaving, and for its hearty food. Enjoy a hot bowl of soup and some polenta before heading back into the hills.