Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului and Lozna - Curmăturița 1

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului

   Bistrița is the town where Jonathan Harker spends his last comfortable night before heading into the mountains in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and the village of Orheiu Bistriței lies just eight kilometres to the south-east, in the hills above the valley of the Bistrița river. In Roman times, this was the site of an auxiliary fort on the north-eastern frontier of Dacia, and the remains lie beneath the village itself, which the locals know as the vatra satului, the village hearth. Excavations have revealed the outline of the fort, and finds are displayed in the county museum in Bistrița.

   Read the complete Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului is where the day begins. Next is Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3.

2. 2. Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3

   Ciceu-Poieni is a scattered village in the hills of Bistrița-Năsăud county, with the ruins of Ciceu fortress somewhere in the story. The stronghold stood on a hilltop here, and in the fifteenth century Hungary's King Matthias Corvinus granted it, along with Cetatea de Baltă, to the Moldavian prince Stephen the Great, which tied this remote corner of Transylvania to Moldavia's fortunes for decades. Today little remains but crumbling walls and a good view, but the history gives the hills a certain weight.

   Read the complete Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3 comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lozna - Curmăturița 1.

3. 3. 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

   about 153 km into the recorded legs you reach Lozna - Curmăturița 1. Next is back through Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3.

4. 4. back through Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Ciceu-Poieni - Fața Carpenului 3, late in the day. Next is Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului.

5. 5. Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Orheiu Bistriței - Vatra Satului. That is the ride.