Sânpaul, Homoródszentpál to its Hungarian-speaking inhabitants, is a village in the Homorod valley in Harghita county, in the heart of the Székely Land of eastern Transylvania. Near the village, the Romans built a fort on the eastern edge of their province of Dacia, guarding routes through the hills from the Carpathians. The remains, now earthworks in the fields, are part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia, listed by UNESCO in 2024. Nearby Ocland has a medieval fortification on a hill known as Hășmaș castle.
The Székelys are a Hungarian-speaking community with a strong sense of identity, and their villages are distinctive. Look for the carved wooden gates in front of houses, massive structures with roofs, decorated with flowers, inscriptions and symbols, built to show the family's status. Many villages have fortified churches, Unitarian, Reformed or Catholic, with walls and towers built for protection in times of trouble.
The Homorod valley is gentle countryside, with rolling hills, meadows, orchards and forests. The region is famous for its mineral water springs, called borvíz, which bubble up naturally and are drunk straight from wells in many villages. Some are slightly fizzy, some taste of iron or sulphur, and locals swear by their health benefits. In the hills above the valley, the small spa of Homorod Băi has wooden villas and springs.
The riding here is a pleasure. Roads wind along valleys and over hills, through villages and forests, with views of the Harghita mountains to the east. Traffic is light, and surfaces on the main roads are mostly good, though minor roads can be rough. Watch for horse carts, cattle being driven home in the evening, and dogs. Brown bears are common in the forests of Harghita, sometimes coming close to villages, so take care at dusk and do not leave food around.
Fuel is limited in the villages. The nearest larger settlement listed is Mugeni, about fourteen kilometres away, and Odorheiu Secuiesc, the main town of the area, lies a little further. Try a kürtőskalács, a chimney cake baked on a spit and rolled in sugar and cinnamon, or a hearty bowl of goulash, and wash it down with fresh mineral water from the village spring.