Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Church of the Nativity of the Virgin

   Ieud is a long village strung along a side valley of the Iza river in Maramureș, in Romania's far north, and it has not one but two wooden churches. The one on the hill, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, is one of the eight Wooden Churches of Maramureș listed by UNESCO, and it is one of the oldest, with a tall, slender bell tower and a double roof of wooden shingles that reaches almost to the ground. Inside, the walls are covered with eighteenth-century paintings on wood and cloth, with scenes from the Last Judgement in which the damned are dressed in the clothes of the local enemies of the time. The church is also known for the Ieud Codex, a manuscript found here, one of the oldest texts written in the Romanian language.

   Read the complete Church of the Nativity of the Virgin write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is where the day begins. Next is Strimbu Băiuț.

2. 2. Strimbu Băiuț

   Maramureș is a part of Romania where wooden building became an art. The county in the far north, tucked against the Ukrainian border and ringed by forested mountains, has hundreds of timber churches, and eight of them were listed by UNESCO in 1999. The one at Strâmbu, in the Băiuț area, belongs to the Nativity of the Virgin and dates from the eighteenth century, built of oak logs with a steep, double-tiered shingle roof and a tall slender spire. It looks like a church that has learned to float, with a roof that sheds the heavy snow and a tower that reaches for the sky.

   Read the complete Strimbu Băiuț write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Strimbu Băiuț comes up about 55 km into the recorded legs. 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

   about 107 km into the recorded legs you reach Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii. Next is back through Strimbu Băiuț.

4. 4. back through Strimbu Băiuț

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Strimbu Băiuț write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Strimbu Băiuț, late in the day. Next is Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.

5. 5. Church of the Nativity of the Virgin

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of the Nativity of the Virgin write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. That is the ride.