Poieni - Horhiș and Church of the Holy Archangels

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Poieni - Horhiș

   The Crisul Repede is the river that cuts through the Apuseni Mountains in north-western Romania, and it carries the main road and the railway between Cluj and Oradea along its valley. Poieni and Horhis lie on the hills just above this corridor, in the zone where the great bulk of the Apuseni gives way to lower, rolling farmland. Ciucea, down in the valley, is the nearest village of any size, and is known for a small castle that once belonged to Octavian Goga, a Romanian poet who briefly served as prime minister in the 1930s. He is buried there, and the house is now a museum.

   Read the complete Poieni - Horhiș write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Poieni - Horhiș is where the day begins. Next is Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor.

2. 2. 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

   Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor comes up about 70 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of the Holy Archangels.

3. 3. Church of the Holy Archangels

   Just outside Baia Mare, where the city gives way to the hills, the countryside of northern Romania begins to show the tradition that made this region famous: churches built entirely of wood, with steep shingled roofs and tall, needle-like spires. Many of them are dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and this dedication is common across the region, from small village churches to some of the eight Wooden Churches of Maramureș listed by UNESCO in 1999. Surdești and Plopiș, both within a short ride of Baia Mare, are among the finest of those, with spires that seem far too tall for the buildings beneath them.

   Read the complete Church of the Holy Archangels write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 138 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of the Holy Archangels. Next is back through Var - Dealul Tărăvăilor.

4. 4. 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, late in the day. Next is Poieni - Horhiș.

5. 5. Poieni - Horhiș

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Poieni - Horhiș write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Poieni - Horhiș. That is the ride.