Hurez - Poic and Lozna - Curmăturița 1

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Hurez - Poic

   Ciucea is the first place to know before you ride into Hurez, because the road from Cluj to Oradea passes through it and the poet Octavian Goga lived and died there. Goga, one of the voices of Transylvanian Romanian nationalism, served briefly as prime minister in 1937 and 1938, and the castle at Ciucea, where he spent his later years, is now a memorial museum. It sits in a small park above the road, with a view of the green hills of the Apuseni mountains, and Goga's grave is nearby.

   Read the complete Hurez - Poic write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Hurez - Poic is where the day begins. Next is Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.

2. 2. 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

   Trezenea - Gura Teghișului comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor.

3. 3. Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor

   Dealul Tărăvăilor is a hill above the village of Var, near Creaca and Jibou, in Sălaj county, north-western Romania, and like many hilltops in this part of the country, it held a Roman watchtower on the frontier of the province of Dacia. The Limes Porolissensis, as the northern frontier is known, was a system of towers, forts and earthworks guarding the roads leading to the great fortress of Porolissum, and the towers were placed on hills with views over the valleys, so that signals could pass quickly along the line.

   Read the complete Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor. Next is Lozna - Curmăturița 1.

4. 4. Lozna - Curmăturița 1

   Lozna is a village in the northern hills of Sălaj county, close to the Someș river, a place of small farms, orchards and wooden houses, and Curmăturița is a saddle in the hills above it, where a Roman watchtower is thought to have stood. The northern frontier of Roman Dacia ran through this area, following ridges and river valleys, and small towers and forts were placed to watch over the approaches. Today there is little to see, but the view from the saddle, over the rolling hills and the Someș valley, is lovely, and it explains why the Romans chose the spot.

   Read the complete Lozna - Curmăturița 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Lozna - Curmăturița 1, about halfway. Next is back through Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor.

5. 5. back through Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor sits at 103 km, about halfway. Next is back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.

6. 6. 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

   back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului comes up about 141 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hurez - Poic.

7. 7. Hurez - Poic

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Hurez - Poic write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Hurez - Poic closes the day.