Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum - and Bologa - Grădiște

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -

   On a terrace above the river Someș, near the village of Cășeiu, a few kilometres from Dej in northern Transylvania, the Romans built a fort they called Samum. It guarded the northern edge of their province of Dacia, which they conquered in the early second century after two hard wars against the Dacian king Decebalus. The fort controlled the valley and the routes into the province, and today its outline can still be traced in the fields, with low walls and earthworks where archaeologists have uncovered gates, towers and barracks. In 2024 the Dacian frontier was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.

   Read the complete Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum - write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum - is where the day begins. Next is Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2.

2. 2. Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2

   The Roman province of Dacia had a northern frontier that ran along the hills of what is now Sălaj county, in north-western Romania, around the great fortress of Porolissum. Here the Limes was not a continuous wall but a network of watchtowers, small forts and earthworks set on hilltops with views over the valleys. Vârful Cigleanului, a hilltop near the village of Ciglean, close to Jibou, held one of these watchtowers, and the number in the name marks it as one of several in the area.

   Read the complete Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bologa - Grădiște.

3. 3. Bologa - Grădiște

   The village of Bologa lies in the valley of the Crișul Repede, on the main road between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, where the river cuts through the hills between the Apuseni mountains and the Meseș. On a hill above the village, known locally as Grădiște, the Romans built the fort of Resculum, which guarded one of the main routes into the province of Dacia from the west. The fort was rebuilt several times, from earth and timber to stone, and archaeologists have uncovered its walls, gates and towers. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia. On another hill above the village stand the ruins of a medieval castle, which controlled the same valley in later centuries. Climbing to either site gives fine views over the valley and the surrounding hills.

   Read the complete Bologa - Grădiște write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 140 km into the recorded legs you reach Bologa - Grădiște. Next is back through Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2.

4. 4. back through Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2, late in the day. Next is Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -.

5. 5. Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum - write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -. That is the ride.