Negrilești is a small village in Bistrița-Năsăud county, in the hills of northern Transylvania, near the valley of the Someș Mare. The name of the site, Negru Vodă, recalls the legendary founder of Wallachia, a figure from the Romanian chronicles who is said to have crossed the Carpathians in the thirteenth century to found the principality; whether he existed at all is still debated, and many places in Romania bear his name. The site itself is part of the UNESCO listing of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia, probably a watchtower or a small fortification on a hill, part of the northern frontier of the province. Little is visible, but the hills offer good views over the surrounding countryside.
The area lies between the Transylvanian plateau and the mountains of the north, and it has a quiet, rural character, with villages, orchards and pastures. Beclean, a small town on the Someș, has fuel and shops. Bistrița, the county capital, about forty kilometres east, is an old Saxon town, founded by German settlers in the Middle Ages, with a Gothic Evangelical church whose tower is one of the tallest in Romania, and a lovely old centre with arcaded houses.
Bistrița has a literary fame that has little to do with its real history. In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, Jonathan Harker stays in Bistritz before travelling over the Borgo Pass to the count's castle. The pass is real, the Tihuța pass in the mountains east of Bistrița, and a hotel built in the shape of a castle stands near the top, cashing in on the legend. The road over the pass, towards Vatra Dornei and Bucovina, is a beautiful ride, climbing through forests with long bends and views over the mountains.
The riding around Negrilești is quiet. The roads through the hills are narrow and winding, with variable surfaces, potholes and gravel in places, and very little traffic. The main road along the Someș valley is busier. Watch for horse-drawn carts, livestock and dogs, which are common in villages and sometimes chase motorcycles.
Beclean and Căianu Mic have small services; Bistrița has everything. Try the local cheeses, smoked meats and pălincă, and look for the Saxon churches in the villages around Bistrița, some fortified, a legacy of the German communities.