The hill of Dealul Cocinilor rises above the valley of the Crișul Repede near Ciucea, on the western edge of Cluj county, and it marks another point on the Roman frontier of Dacia, this time in the Meseș mountains, where the limes ran along the hills protecting the province of Dacia Porolissensis. The watchtowers here guarded the approaches from the west and north, and from the hilltop you can still see why: the valley below is a natural corridor, used by traders, armies and travellers for thousands of years.
Today that corridor carries the E60, the main road from Oradea to Cluj-Napoca, and it is one of the busiest roads in Romania, heavy with trucks and cars. Riding it is not much fun, but leaving it, even for a few kilometres, opens up a different world. The Crișul Repede cuts a narrow gorge between Ciucea and Bucea, with railway, river and road squeezed together in the forest, and the Apuseni mountains to the south offer some of the best riding in the country, with roads climbing to high plateaus, karst landscapes, caves and villages that seem lost in time.
Ciucea itself is known for its connection to two poets. Octavian Goga, the Romanian poet and politician, had his manor here, now a memorial museum with a lovely wooden church brought from another village. Before him, the house belonged to Endre Ady, one of the greatest Hungarian poets. That two national poets of rival traditions are tied to one small village says something about the layered history of Transylvania.
Nature here is a mix of beech and oak forests, meadows and rocky slopes. In spring the hills are full of wildflowers, and in autumn the forests turn every shade of orange. The roads are generally paved but narrow and sometimes in poor condition, with sharp bends in the gorge. Watch for speeding trucks on the main road and slow-moving farm vehicles on the minor roads. Ciucea can sell you petrol and groceries; for a wider choice, carry on sixteen kilometres east to Huedin. Try the local cheese, smoked meats and fresh bread from village bakeries, and enjoy the quiet once you leave the main road behind.