Why this ride
380 km from Ciceu-Giurgeşti to Ciceu-Giurgeşti, about 7 h 06 of riding. It goes by way of Bârsău Mare - Cetate, Tihău - Grădiște, Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 and Tihău - Pe Grădiște. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 and Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 380 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 06
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
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 Bârsău Mare - Cetate.
2. 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
Bârsău Mare - Cetate comes up about 47 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tihău - Grădiște.
3. Tihău - Grădiște
The Someș river makes its way through the hills of north-western Romania between Cluj and Baia Mare, and near the small town of Jibou, in Sălaj county, it passes through a narrow valley guarded on its slopes by the remains of a Roman fort. The site, known locally as Grădiște, which simply means old fort, lies above the village of Tihău, close to Surduc and Gâlgău Almașului.
Read the complete Tihău - Grădiște write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 97 km into the recorded legs you reach Tihău - Grădiște. Next is Glod - Toaca Glodului 2.
4. Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
East of Jibou the Someș river squeezes through a narrower valley, and around Ileanda the hills close in, wooded and steep, with villages tucked wherever there is room for a few houses and gardens. Glod is a tiny settlement in these hills, and Toaca Glodului is the local name of a height above it; toaca, by the way, is the wooden board struck to call monks to prayer, and hills with that name often have a commanding view. Like many points with this naming pattern in Sălaj, it is listed with the Roman frontier of Dacia, where watchtowers and small forts guarded the approaches to the province. On the ground you should expect little more than traces in a field or woodland, so come for the setting.
Read the complete Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2, about halfway. Next is Tihău - Pe Grădiște.
5. Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Jibou is a small town on the Somes river, and it holds a surprise that has nothing to do with Romans. The Wesselenyi family, Hungarian nobles who owned much of this part of Transylvania, built a castle here in the eighteenth century, and its grounds became the town's botanical garden, which is still a garden today, with glasshouses, old trees and flower beds that bring visitors from far afield. It is a quiet, slightly faded estate, and it makes a pleasant hour. Tihau lies six kilometres away, on the same river plain, among low hills that rise toward the Meses range.
Read the complete Tihău - Pe Grădiște write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tihău - Pe Grădiște sits at 137 km, about halfway. Next is back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2.
6. back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 comes up about 238 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Tihău - Grădiște.
7. back through Tihău - Grădiște
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tihău - Grădiște write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 283 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Tihău - Grădiște. Next is back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate.
8. back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate, late in the day. Next is Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1.
9. 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
The route ends here after 380 km.
Leg by leg
Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 to Bârsău Mare - Cetate
Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 → Bârsău Mare - Cetate is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bârsău Mare - Cetate to Tihău - Grădiște
Bârsău Mare - Cetate → Tihău - Grădiște is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Grădiște to Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
Tihău - Grădiște → Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 to Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 → Tihău - Pe Grădiște is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Pe Grădiște to back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
Tihău - Pe Grădiște → back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 to back through Tihău - Grădiște
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 → back through Tihău - Grădiște is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tihău - Grădiște to back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate
back through Tihău - Grădiște → back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate to Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1
back through Bârsău Mare - Cetate → Dumbrăveni - Dealul Sflederului 1 is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.