The upper valley of the Zagra stream, in the hills of Bistrița-Năsăud county in northern Transylvania, is the sort of place that has produced poets. The village of Hordou, now named Coșbuc, birthplace of the poet George Coșbuc, lies not far away, near Năsăud, and Liviu Rebreanu, one of Romania's great novelists, was born in Târlișua, a little to the west. The hills around Perișor and Zagra, with the summit called Vârful Colnicului, are a landscape of meadows, beech woods and scattered farms that seems to have stepped out of their books.
There is also older history here. The Romans held this northern edge of Dacia from the early second century until the late third, and their frontier through these hills was marked by forts, watchtowers and lookout posts on high points, of which the hilltops around Perișor were part. Little remains to see above ground, but the views explain the choice: from the higher slopes you look north toward the Țibleș and Rodna mountains and south across the valleys of the Someș Mare.
The people of this region, the old Năsăud border district, have a strong sense of identity. In the eighteenth century, the Habsburgs organised the area as a military frontier, with peasants serving as border guards in exchange for privileges, and the pride of that history is still felt. The local costume, with peacock feathers on men's hats, is one of the most distinctive in Romania.
Riding here means small roads. The route through the Zagra valley is narrow, winding and often bumpy, with horses and carts, livestock and the occasional tractor sharing the road. It is not fast riding, but it is beautiful, with wooden houses, carved gates and haystacks in the fields. To the east, the DN17D follows the Someș Mare up past Năsăud toward Rodna and over the Șetref pass into Maramureș, a wonderful road through the mountains, best in summer and early autumn.
Nimigea de Sus, about six kilometres away, and Năsăud have fuel and basic services; Bistrița, the county capital, has everything. In the villages, look for local cheeses and honey sold from farm gates, and if you are offered pălincă, the strong fruit brandy of the north, take a small glass and save the rest for the evening, when the bike is parked and the light is golden over the hills.