Why this ride
A 320 km round trip from Ileanda - roughly 6 h 16 in the saddle. It goes by way of Tihău - Grădiște, Trezenea - Gura Teghișului, Tihău - Pe Grădiște and Treznea. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 and Treznea
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 320 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 16
- 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. 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 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 45 km into the recorded legs. Next is Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.
3. Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
The Meseș mountains are a low, forested ridge in northwestern Transylvania, and for the Romans they formed a natural wall at the edge of the province of Dacia. Along the ridge, they built a chain of forts, watchtowers and earthworks, and the big fort of Porolissum, near Zalău, was the key to it all, guarding a pass through the mountains used by traders and travellers. In 2024, much of this frontier was listed by UNESCO as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia, and the site between Treznea and Gura Teghișului is one of its components. On the ground, there is little more than a line of ditches, banks and the foundations of towers, hidden in the forest.
Read the complete Trezenea - Gura Teghișului write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 80 km into the recorded legs you reach Trezenea - Gura Teghișului. Next is Tihău - Pe Grădiște.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Treznea.
5. Treznea
The northern frontier of Roman Dacia ran through the hills of Sălaj county, near Zalău, and Treznea is one of the places where its watchtowers, ramparts and forts left traces. The Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia, were listed as a World Heritage Site in 2024, covering hundreds of sites across Romania. Nearby, on a ridge above the valley, Porolissum was the largest Roman town and military complex on this frontier, with a reconstructed gate, an amphitheatre and walls, and it is one of the most impressive Roman sites in Romania.
Read the complete Treznea write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Treznea sits at 135 km, about halfway. Next is back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște.
6. back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște comes up about 197 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.
7. back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Trezenea - Gura Teghișului write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 232 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului. Next is back through Tihău - Grădiște.
8. 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 Glod - Toaca Glodului 2.
9. 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
The route ends here after 320 km.
Leg by leg
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 to Tihău - Grădiște
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 → Tihău - Grădiște is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Grădiște to Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
Tihău - Grădiște → Trezenea - Gura Teghișului is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Trezenea - Gura Teghișului to Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Trezenea - Gura Teghișului → Tihău - Pe Grădiște is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Pe Grădiște to Treznea
Tihău - Pe Grădiște → Treznea is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Treznea to back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Treznea → back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște to back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
back through Tihău - Pe Grădiște → back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului to back through Tihău - Grădiște
back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului → back through Tihău - Grădiște is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tihău - Grădiște to Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
back through Tihău - Grădiște → Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.