Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei and Buciumi - Grădiște

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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

   Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei is where the day begins. Next is Valea Leșului - Țiclău.

2. 2. Valea Leșului - Țiclău

   The Someș river does most of the work here. Flowing west and then north out of Transylvania, it has carved a valley through the hills of Sălaj county, and near the villages of Lozna and Letca the slopes close in, wooded and steep, with small clearings and hay meadows. On the ridges above, the Romans built watchtowers to guard the northern edge of Dacia, and the remains near Valea Leșului and Țiclău are among the sites included in the UNESCO frontier listing. Today they are little more than grassy hollows and stone scatters, visited by archaeologists and the occasional curious walker.

   Read the complete Valea Leșului - Țiclău write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Valea Leșului - Țiclău comes up about 85 km into the recorded legs. Next is Buciumi - Grădiște.

3. 3. Buciumi - Grădiște

   Buciumi has a Roman fort, and a proper one. On a low hill above the village, the outline of a rectangular auxiliary fort has been excavated, with walls, gates and the foundations of the buildings inside, laid out to the standard Roman pattern with the headquarters in the middle and barracks to either side. It was one of the forts guarding the road and the passes of the Meseş mountains, a few kilometres from the larger fortress and town at Porolissum, and it held a unit of auxiliary troops, soldiers recruited from the provinces rather than citizen legionaries.

   Read the complete Buciumi - Grădiște write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 145 km into the recorded legs you reach Buciumi - Grădiște. Next is back through Valea Leșului - Țiclău.

4. 4. back through Valea Leșului - Țiclău

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Valea Leșului - Țiclău write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Valea Leșului - Țiclău, late in the day. Next is Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei.

5. 5. Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   Back at Ciceu-Poieni - Podul Milcoaiei. That is the ride.