Church of the Holy Parasceve and Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
285 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 46
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
285 km from Poienile Izei to Poienile Izei, about 6 h 46 of riding. On the way it passes Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci, Church of the Holy Archangels, Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului and back through Church of the Holy Archangels. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of the Holy Parasceve
Maramureș is one of the few corners of Europe where wood is still the language of the sacred, and the church of Saint Parascheva at Poienile Izei is a good place to learn it. It stands on a small rise above the Izei valley, a dark timber church with a steep, double-tiered shingled roof and a slender spire, built in the early seventeenth century and moved to its present spot later. Inside, the walls and ceiling carry painted scenes from the eighteenth century, and the one that always gets quoted is a vivid Last Judgment in which sinners get remarkably specific punishments.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Holy Parasceve is where the day begins. Next is Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci.
2. Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci
The Țibleș massif rises like a dark green wall between Maramureș and the Bistrița country of northern Romania, an old volcanic range topped by the Țibleș peak at around eighteen hundred metres. On its southern flanks, above the village of Groșii Țibleșului, lie the forests of Preluci, part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe that UNESCO has protected as one sprawling, multi-country site. These are woods left largely to themselves, where old beeches grow huge, fall, rot and feed the next generation without a forester in sight.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci comes up 29 km in. Next is Church of the Holy Archangels.
3. Church of the Holy Archangels
The wooden church at Rogoz stands in the Lăpuș country, a quieter, lesser-known corner of Maramureș, south of the mountains and away from the main tourist circuits. Built in the seventeenth century and dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, it is unusual in shape: the roof is asymmetric and overhangs deeply on one side, and the eaves are supported by carved wooden brackets shaped like horse heads, a detail that seems to come straight out of folk tradition. Inside, the walls are painted with scenes from the Bible, including a vivid Last Judgement. It is one of the eight churches in the UNESCO listing of the Wooden Churches of Maramureș.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
57 km in you reach Church of the Holy Archangels. Next is Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului.
4. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Holy Parasceve closes the day.
Leg by leg
Church of the Holy Parasceve to Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci
Church of the Holy Parasceve → Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci to Church of the Holy Archangels
Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci → Church of the Holy Archangels is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Holy Archangels to Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului
Church of the Holy Archangels → Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului to back through Church of the Holy Archangels
Chiuiești - Muncelul Chiuieștiului → back through Church of the Holy Archangels is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of the Holy Archangels to back through Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci
back through Church of the Holy Archangels → back through Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci to Church of the Holy Parasceve
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Preluci → Church of the Holy Parasceve is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.