Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum - and Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei

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 Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului.

2. 2. Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului

   North of Dej, in the hills of Cluj county, the land rises into a rolling upland of pastures, orchards and beech woods, cut by small valleys and dotted with villages. Muncelul Chiuieștiului is one of the hilltops above the village of Chiuiești, and the name is listed among archaeological sites of the Roman frontier in Dacia, which in this region ran along the hills to protect the province from the free Dacians and other peoples to the north. What exactly stood on this hilltop is something to learn from the local signs rather than assume; much of the frontier here consisted of small watchtowers and earthworks that left only faint traces.

   Read the complete Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului comes up about 23 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei.

3. 3. Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei

   Ciceu-Poieni is a tiny village in the hills north of the Someș, the kind of place that rarely appears on a map, and near it, at a spot called Podul Milcoaiei, the Romans placed a watchtower on the northern border of Dacia. It is part of the Dacian frontier on the World Heritage list, and today it is just a slight hump in the ground among fields and woods, but its position on the high ground gives a wide view over the valleys, which is exactly why it was chosen. The towers were placed so that each could see its neighbours and pass signals along the frontier with fire and smoke.

   Read the complete Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 64 km into the recorded legs you reach Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei. Next is back through Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului.

4. 4. back through Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului, 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.