Why this ride
From Ieud it runs 271 km to Ieud; allow about 6 h 41 of riding. On the way it passes Strimbu Băiuț, Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii, Church of the Holy Parasceve and Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 271 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 41
- 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.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 19 km this is Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 19 km
- Named road
- Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
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. 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 20 km in. Next is Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii.
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
40 km in you reach Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii. Next is Church of the Holy Parasceve.
4. 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.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Parasceve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Holy Parasceve, about halfway. Next is Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
5. Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Maramureș is a region in the far north of Romania, along the Ukrainian border, where traditions have survived more strongly than almost anywhere else in Europe. Its villages are known for their carved wooden gates, their haystacks and their wooden churches, eight of which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bârsana, in the valley of the Iza river, has one of them, a church built in the eighteenth century, with a tall slender spire and a steep shingled roof.
Read the complete Wooden Churches of Maramureş write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wooden Churches of Maramureş sits at 79 km, about halfway. Next is back through Church of the Holy Parasceve.
6. back through Church of the Holy Parasceve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Parasceve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Church of the Holy Parasceve comes up 99 km in. Next is back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii.
7. back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
119 km in you reach back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii. Next is back through Strimbu Băiuț.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 271 km.
Leg by leg
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin to Strimbu Băiuț
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin → Strimbu Băiuț is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Strimbu Băiuț to Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
Strimbu Băiuț → Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii to Church of the Holy Parasceve
Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii → Church of the Holy Parasceve is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Holy Parasceve to Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Church of the Holy Parasceve → Wooden Churches of Maramureş is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wooden Churches of Maramureş to back through Church of the Holy Parasceve
Wooden Churches of Maramureş → back through Church of the Holy Parasceve is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of the Holy Parasceve to back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
back through Church of the Holy Parasceve → back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii to back through Strimbu Băiuț
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii → back through Strimbu Băiuț is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Strimbu Băiuț to Church of the Nativity of the Virgin
back through Strimbu Băiuț → Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.