Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 and Bârsău Mare - Cetate

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1

   The Năsăud country in northern Transylvania has a history that the rest of Europe barely noticed. In 1762 the Habsburg authorities set up a military frontier here, enrolling local Romanian peasants as border guards in return for land and privileges, and for nearly a century the villages of the region lived under a mix of farm work and army discipline. The result was a surprisingly literate, organised society, with schools and a strong sense of identity, which produced a number of poets and writers. The novelist Liviu Rebreanu was born in the nearby village of Târlișua, and the poet George Coșbuc grew up not far from here.

   Read the complete Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 is where the day begins. Next is Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii.

2. 2. Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii

   North of Dej, the Someș river winds through a land of soft hills, orchards and scattered villages, and on the ridges above it the Romans once kept watch over the northern frontier of their province of Dacia. Chiuiești, a commune of small villages spread across the hills, is one of the places where archaeologists have identified the remains of watchtowers on high points along the frontier, including one on the hill known as Dealul Crucii, the Hill of the Cross. Little survives above ground beyond low mounds and traces in the grass, but the sites are included in the World Heritage inscription of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in Dacia, added in 2024.

   Read the complete Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii comes up about 35 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bârsău Mare - Cetate.

3. 3. Bârsău Mare - Cetate

   In the north of Transylvania, the Someș river winds through a valley of green hills, woods and villages with wooden churches and haystacks, and on a hilltop near the village of Bârsău Mare, the faint remains of a Roman fortification overlook the valley. This was part of the northern frontier of Roman Dacia, the province created after Trajan's conquest in the early second century, and it is one of the sites included in the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia, listed by UNESCO in 2024.

   Read the complete Bârsău Mare - Cetate write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 68 km into the recorded legs you reach Bârsău Mare - Cetate. Next is back through Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii.

4. 4. back through Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Chiuiești - Dealul Crucii, late in the day. Next is Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1.

5. 5. Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1. That is the ride.