Brebi - Dealul Mare 3 and Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Brebi - Dealul Mare 3

   Most people who know the Roman Empire think of Hadrian's Wall or the Rhine, but there was also a Roman frontier in the hills of north-western Transylvania, and this is part of it. The province of Dacia Porolissensis was guarded by a line of forts and wooden watchtowers on ridge tops, and the great fort and customs station at Porolissum, at Moigrad, was its centre. UNESCO added the Dacia Porolissensis frontier to its listing of Roman frontiers in 2024. Brebi lies close to Porolissum, and the ridge called Dealul Mare gives a sense of why the Romans chose these hills: wide views over the valleys and the approaches from the north.

   Read the complete Brebi - Dealul Mare 3 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Brebi - Dealul Mare 3 is where the day begins. Next is Muncel - Comorița.

2. 2. Muncel - Comorița

   On the hills between the valley of the Someș and the Meseș mountains, in the north-west of Transylvania, the ground rises in gentle ridges, and this is the highest point in a small stretch of country near the villages of Vad, Gâlgău and Poiana Blenchii. The label is Muncel, meaning little hill, and Comorița, which carries the sense of a small treasure, and both names tell you about the country: low, open, rounded hills, used for generations as pasture and orchard land. A lot of local folklore has treasure buried in hills like this, and many an old shepherd has a tale of a hoard or a lost mine.

   Read the complete Muncel - Comorița write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Muncel - Comorița comes up 62 km in. Next is Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii.

3. 3. Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii

   The Țibleș mountains rise like a dark wall between the Lăpuș country and the valleys of Maramureș, a volcanic range of dense spruce and beech forest topping out at nearly two thousand metres. On their slopes, near the source known as Izvorul Șurii above the village of Groșii Țibleșului, the forest feels almost untouched: springs bubbling out of mossy banks, fallen trunks covered in fungi, and a silence broken only by woodpeckers and the wind. This is bear country, and wolves and lynx roam these woods too. The area lies on the edge of the Maramureș region, famous for its wooden churches, carved gates and deeply traditional village life.

   Read the complete Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   124 km in you reach Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii. Next is back through Muncel - Comorița.

4. 4. back through Muncel - Comorița

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Muncel - Comorița write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Muncel - Comorița, late in the day. Next is Brebi - Dealul Mare 3.

5. 5. Brebi - Dealul Mare 3

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Brebi - Dealul Mare 3 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Brebi - Dealul Mare 3. That is the ride.