Frasin is the Romanian word for ash tree, and a place called La Frasin simply means by the ash. Toponyms like this are the real map of rural Romania. Hurez, a commune in the county of Sălaj, and the hills around it are scattered with names that describe a landscape in a few words: a spring, a clearing, a saddle, a lonely tree that once marked a boundary or a meeting place. You can read the countryside by them.
The hills here belong to the Meseș range, a long, low and forested ridge that runs across the north-west of Transylvania and, for centuries, marked the gateway between the Transylvanian plateau and the plain to the west. Cizer, the nearest village of any size, lies about six kilometres away, and Zalău, the county capital, is a reasonable ride beyond. The country is gentle by Carpathian standards, with summits under a thousand metres, but steep enough that the roads wind and the views change at every turn. Forests of beech and oak give way to open pasture and plum orchards in the valleys.
This is also mining country of a quieter kind. Not far south, in the Apuseni Mountains, the Roșia Montană mining landscape, a UNESCO site since 2021, preserves the underground galleries the Romans dug for gold, and the whole region has long been tied to metal and salt. Those histories do not show on the surface here, but they explain why so many tracks and old roads cross these hills.
Riding is a mix of modest tarmac and rough surfaces. Expect narrow roads, tight bends, loose gravel and occasional potholes, with the odd horse and cart, and shepherd dogs that come out of nowhere to inspect a passing bike. Speed limits in villages are fifty and are enforced. Be careful on gravel descents, especially in wet weather when the clay becomes slick.
Fuel is available in the larger towns, and Zalău has everything, but small villages may have only a pump at a shop. A village shop or crossroads bar will sell coffee, beer and a basic sandwich, and often a friendly conversation if your Romanian is better than the barman's English.
Come in autumn, when the beech leaves turn rust and gold, and the plums are picked.