High in the Semenic mountains of south-western Romania, in the Banat region, the Nera river is born in a forest of ancient beech trees. The Izvoarele Nerei reserve, the springs of the Nera, protects one of the largest areas of virgin beech forest in Europe, with trees over thirty metres tall and centuries old, untouched by logging. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.
The forest is a cathedral of grey trunks and green light, with fallen trees left to decay and provide habitats for insects, fungi and birds. Wolves, bears and lynx live in these mountains, though they are rarely seen. The Nera flows south from here through a dramatic limestone gorge, the Cheile Nerei, to the Danube, and the Cheile Nerei-Beușnița national park protects the gorge, with its waterfalls and the turquoise Lake of the Devil, Lacul Dracului. The Semenic plateau, above the forest, is a ski area in winter.
The riding in the Banat mountains is excellent. The road from Reșița to the Semenic plateau climbs through forests past the Văliug reservoir, with tight bends and steep gradients, and continues over the mountains. The roads around the Nera gorge and through the villages of the Almăj valley are winding and quiet. Surfaces vary, with some good asphalt and some rough or unpaved sections, so check conditions. The climate in the mountains is cooler and wetter than in the lowlands, with snow in winter, and fog can be thick.
Văliug is a small village with basic services, and Anina, sixteen kilometres away, is a former mining town with fuel and shops. Reșița, the county capital, has all services and a museum of steam locomotives. The local food in the Banat reflects its mixed heritage, with Romanian, Serbian, German and Hungarian influences. The Banat was home to the Danube Swabians, German settlers, whose villages can still be found. Walking in the virgin beech forest of Izvoarele Nerei, in the silence and green light, is an experience that stays with you.