Somewhere in the hills of Sălaj county, between the villages of Lozna, Rus and Letca, a meadow called Poiana la Arbore, the clearing by the tree, marks one of the small Roman sites on the north-western frontier of Dacia. The name alone tells you what to expect: a glade, a ridge, perhaps a lone tree, and the faint traces of a watch post that once looked out over the Someş valley. The Frontiers of the Roman Empire listing in 2024 included many such places, and their value lies in the chain they form rather than in any single ruin.
The big Roman site in this area is Porolissum, near Moigrad, about an hour's ride to the west, where the Romans built a large fort and town guarding a pass through the Meseş hills. Walls, a gate and an amphitheatre have been excavated and partly reconstructed, and it is worth the detour if you want to see what the frontier looked like at its strongest.
The Someş river cuts through these hills in a narrow valley, with the railway and road squeezed alongside it. The landscape is green and wooded, with villages strung along the valley and scattered on the hillsides. In spring the meadows are full of flowers, and in autumn the beech woods turn copper and gold. Mornings often bring mist in the valley, which burns off by mid-morning.
Riding here is a mix of valley roads and hill lanes. The roads along the Someş offer flowing curves and pleasant scenery, while the side roads up into the hills are narrower, steeper and often rougher. Traffic is light, but watch for animals and farm vehicles. The region is far from the main tourist routes, which means peace and quiet, but also limited services.
Jibou, twenty-two kilometres away, is the nearest town of size, with fuel, shops and restaurants. It has a baroque castle built by the Wesselényi family, a Hungarian noble family, and a botanical garden in its grounds. In the villages, life follows the rhythm of the seasons, and the food is homemade: bread, cheese, smoked bacon and vegetables from the garden.