Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 and Sărățel - Cetate 1

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2

   The Roman province of Dacia had a northern frontier that ran along the hills of what is now Sălaj county, in north-western Romania, around the great fortress of Porolissum. Here the Limes was not a continuous wall but a network of watchtowers, small forts and earthworks set on hilltops with views over the valleys. Vârful Cigleanului, a hilltop near the village of Ciglean, close to Jibou, held one of these watchtowers, and the number in the name marks it as one of several in the area.

   Read the complete Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 is where the day begins. Next is Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -.

2. 2. 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 - comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sărățel - Cetate 1.

3. 3. Sărățel - Cetate 1

   The name Sărățel means the little salty place, and this corner of Bistrița-Năsăud has salt underground: springs of brine rise here and there in the hills, and for centuries people used them for cooking, curing meat and treating animals. Salt was one of the reasons the Romans wanted Dacia, along with gold, and on a hill near the village they placed a fort, Cetate, meaning the citadel, at the north-eastern corner of their province. Behind it lay the valley of the Șieu and the road towards the interior; in front, the hills where the free Dacians lived. The site is now part of the Roman frontier of Dacia on the World Heritage list, though, like most of these places, it is visible mainly as an outline of banks and ditches.

   Read the complete Sărățel - Cetate 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 131 km into the recorded legs you reach Sărățel - Cetate 1. Next is back through Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -.

4. 4. back through 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 through Cășeiu - Cetățele / Samvm Cășeiu -Samum -, late in the day. Next is Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2.

5. 5. Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Ciglean - Vârful Cigleanului 2. That is the ride.