Why this ride
A 278 km round trip from Chiuiești - roughly 6 h 05 in the saddle. On the way it passes Tihău - Grădiște, Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor and back through Tihău - Grădiște. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Dumbrăveni - Măgura and Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 278 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 05
- 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 - Măgura
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, a fortress on a hill above the Someș valley near Ciceu belonged not to the rulers of Transylvania but to the princes of Moldavia, on the far side of the Carpathians. Stephen the Great received the castle of Ciceu and its estates as compensation from the Hungarian king, and the Moldavian princes held it for decades, a curious enclave in the middle of Transylvania. The castle was later destroyed, and only ruins remain on the hill above Ciceu-Corabia, but the story gives a sense of how fluid borders and loyalties were in this part of Europe.
Read the complete Dumbrăveni - Măgura write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Dumbrăveni - Măgura is where the day begins. Next is Tihău - Grădiște.
2. 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
Tihău - Grădiște comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor.
3. Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor
The hill of Dealul Cocinilor rises above the valley of the Crișul Repede near Ciucea, on the western edge of Cluj county, and it marks another point on the Roman frontier of Dacia, this time in the Meseș mountains, where the limes ran along the hills protecting the province of Dacia Porolissensis. The watchtowers here guarded the approaches from the west and north, and from the hilltop you can still see why: the valley below is a natural corridor, used by traders, armies and travellers for thousands of years.
Read the complete Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 139 km into the recorded legs you reach Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor. Next is back through Tihău - Grădiște.
4. 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
back through Tihău - Grădiște, late in the day. Next is Dumbrăveni - Măgura.
5. Dumbrăveni - Măgura
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dumbrăveni - Măgura write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Dumbrăveni - Măgura. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Dumbrăveni - Măgura to Tihău - Grădiște
Dumbrăveni - Măgura → Tihău - Grădiște is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Grădiște to Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor
Tihău - Grădiște → Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor to back through Tihău - Grădiște
Vânători - Dealul Cocinilor → back through Tihău - Grădiște is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tihău - Grădiște to Dumbrăveni - Măgura
back through Tihău - Grădiște → Dumbrăveni - Măgura is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.