Glod - Toaca Glodului 1 and Dumbrăveni - Dealul Podului 2

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Glod - Toaca Glodului 1

   Between Dej and Jibou the Someș river squeezes through a narrow, winding valley, with the railway, the road and the river taking turns to cross each other. On the hills above, near the village of Glod and the larger villages of Rus and Ileanda, the Romans kept a watch on the north-western edge of Dacia, and Toaca Glodului is one of their watchtower positions, among the components of UNESCO's Dacian frontier listing. Toaca is the name of the wooden board struck in Romanian monasteries to call the monks to prayer, and the hill may owe its name to its shape or to some long-forgotten story.

   Read the complete Glod - Toaca Glodului 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Glod - Toaca Glodului 1 is where the day begins. Next is Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului.

2. 2. Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului

   The name is a mouthful, and a good one: the Ridge of the Wolf's Clearing, on the hill of Muncel, above the Someș valley north-east of Dej. Somewhere along this wooded crest the Romans kept a lookout on the northern border of Dacia, watching the valleys for movement from the free tribes beyond. Watchtowers like this one were the eyes of the frontier, signalling to the forts below, and the site is part of the Dacian frontier inscribed by UNESCO in 2024. On the ground, expect very little: perhaps a low mound, a ditch or scattered stones under the trees. It is a place for imagination and a walk rather than a monument.

   Read the complete Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dumbrăveni - Dealul Podului 2.

3. 3. Dumbrăveni - Dealul Podului 2

   Above the valley of the Someș Mare in Bistrița-Năsăud county, the hill called Dealul Podului carries the faint remains of a Roman watch post, one of a string of small installations that kept an eye on the northern edge of the province of Dacia. Like many points on this frontier, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2024, it is less a monument than a viewpoint with a story, a place where soldiers once scanned the horizon for movement in the free lands to the north. Today the horizon holds forested ridges, orchards and villages strung along the river.

   Read the complete Dumbrăveni - Dealul Podului 2 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 51 km into the recorded legs you reach Dumbrăveni - Dealul Podului 2. Next is back through Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului.

4. 4. back through Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Muncel - Muchia Poienii Lupului, late in the day. Next is Glod - Toaca Glodului 1.

5. 5. Glod - Toaca Glodului 1

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Glod - Toaca Glodului 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Glod - Toaca Glodului 1. That is the ride.