Up here the Parâng Mountains show their true shape, a broad, grassy massif that rolls away to the horizon more like a Scottish moor than an Alpine peak. The Transalpina, Romania's DN67C, climbs onto this high plateau above the treeline, where spruce forest gives way to open pasture, juniper and heather, and the road becomes a thin ribbon across a vast, empty landscape. Its high point, the Urdele Pass, reaches 2,145 metres, which makes it the highest paved road in the country, and the surrounding country has the lonely, windswept feel of the roof of the Carpathians.
The history of the road is longer than you might guess. Romans and medieval shepherds used a track over these mountains, and in the 1930s King Carol II had it improved as a showpiece, giving it the grand name of the King's Road. During the Second World War, German troops widened it for military use, and for decades afterward it was little more than a gravel track used by shepherds and foresters. A major rebuilding programme over the last fifteen years has paved most of it, and riders from across Europe have since found it.
The riding is spectacular but demands respect. The road is a succession of long, open curves and tight hairpins, climbing and dropping across the grass, and the surface, though paved, can have frost heaves, potholes and loose gravel, particularly after winter. Sheep, cows and horses graze freely, and herding dogs, large and sometimes aggressive, may run alongside. Slow down for animals and for blind crests.
The nearest reliable stations are in the towns at the foot of the mountains, such as Novaci to the south, about nineteen kilometres away as the crow flies, and Petroșani to the north, and it is wise to start with a full tank and carry some spare food and water. Mobile coverage is poor in the high valleys, so tell someone your route.
The road is closed in winter because of snow, usually from late autumn until late spring, and the exact dates vary, so check before you set out. Even in July, the weather can swing from blazing sun to fog and cold rain in an hour, and storms build quickly over the ridge. Pack waterproofs and a warm layer, and aim to cross the high plateau in the morning, when the air is clear and the light long and low across the grass.