Why this ride
397 km from Poieni to Poieni, about 7 h 08 of riding. The stops in between: Trezenea - Gura Teghișului, Tihău - Grădiște, Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 and Tihău - Pe Grădiște. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Poieni - Râmbușoi and Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 397 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 08
- 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. Poieni - Râmbușoi
West of Cluj, the valley of the Crișul Repede cuts through the hills toward the Hungarian plain, and the main road between Transylvania and the west follows it. The village of Poieni and the hill of Râmbușoi lie in this valley, between Huedin and Ciucea, with the forested slopes of the Vlădeasa massif, part of the Apuseni mountains, rising to the south. In Roman times, the frontier of Dacia ran through the hills to the north, along the Meseș mountains, and this corridor was a natural route to watch; hilltop positions in the area formed part of the defensive network, and the larger fort at Bologa guarded the valley nearby.
Read the complete Poieni - Râmbușoi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Poieni - Râmbușoi is where the day begins. Next is Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.
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 70 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tihău - Grădiște.
3. 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
about 108 km into the recorded legs you reach Tihău - Grădiște. Next is Glod - Toaca Glodului 2.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Tihău - Pe Grădiște.
5. 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 sits at 136 km, about halfway. Next is back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2.
6. back through 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
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 comes up about 245 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Tihău - Grădiște.
7. 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
about 290 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Tihău - Grădiște. Next is back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Poieni - Râmbușoi.
9. Poieni - Râmbușoi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Poieni - Râmbușoi 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 397 km.
Leg by leg
Poieni - Râmbușoi to Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
Poieni - Râmbușoi → Trezenea - Gura Teghișului is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Trezenea - Gura Teghișului to Tihău - Grădiște
Trezenea - Gura Teghișului → Tihău - Grădiște is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Grădiște to Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
Tihău - Grădiște → Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 to Tihău - Pe Grădiște
Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 → Tihău - Pe Grădiște is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tihău - Pe Grădiște to back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2
Tihău - Pe Grădiște → back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 to back through Tihău - Grădiște
back through Glod - Toaca Glodului 2 → back through Tihău - Grădiște is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tihău - Grădiște to back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului
back through Tihău - 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 Poieni - Râmbușoi
back through Trezenea - Gura Teghișului → Poieni - Râmbușoi is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.