Why this ride
A 163 km round trip from Băiuţ - roughly 4 h 02 in the saddle. It goes by way of Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii, Church of the Holy Archangels and back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Strimbu Băiuț and Church of the Holy Archangels
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 163 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 02
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. Strimbu Băiuț
Maramureș is a part of Romania where wooden building became an art. The county in the far north, tucked against the Ukrainian border and ringed by forested mountains, has hundreds of timber churches, and eight of them were listed by UNESCO in 1999. The one at Strâmbu, in the Băiuț area, belongs to the Nativity of the Virgin and dates from the eighteenth century, built of oak logs with a steep, double-tiered shingle roof and a tall slender spire. It looks like a church that has learned to float, with a roof that sheds the heavy snow and a tower that reaches for the sky.
Read the complete Strimbu Băiuț write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Strimbu Băiuț is where the day begins. Next is Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii.
2. Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
The Țibleș mountains rise like a dark wall between the Lăpuș country and the valleys of Maramureș, a volcanic range of dense spruce and beech forest topping out at nearly two thousand metres. On their slopes, near the source known as Izvorul Șurii above the village of Groșii Țibleșului, the forest feels almost untouched: springs bubbling out of mossy banks, fallen trunks covered in fungi, and a silence broken only by woodpeckers and the wind. This is bear country, and wolves and lynx roam these woods too. The area lies on the edge of the Maramureș region, famous for its wooden churches, carved gates and deeply traditional village life.
Read the complete Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii comes up 24 km in. Next is Church of the Holy Archangels.
3. Church of the Holy Archangels
The wooden church at Rogoz stands in the Lăpuș country, a quieter, lesser-known corner of Maramureș, south of the mountains and away from the main tourist circuits. Built in the seventeenth century and dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, it is unusual in shape: the roof is asymmetric and overhangs deeply on one side, and the eaves are supported by carved wooden brackets shaped like horse heads, a detail that seems to come straight out of folk tradition. Inside, the walls are painted with scenes from the Bible, including a vivid Last Judgement. It is one of the eight churches in the UNESCO listing of the Wooden Churches of Maramureș.
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
47 km in you reach Church of the Holy Archangels. Next is back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii.
4. back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii, late in the day. Next is Strimbu Băiuț.
5. Strimbu Băiuț
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Strimbu Băiuț write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Strimbu Băiuț. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Strimbu Băiuț to Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
Strimbu Băiuț → Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii to Church of the Holy Archangels
Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii → Church of the Holy Archangels is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Holy Archangels to back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii
Church of the Holy Archangels → back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii to Strimbu Băiuț
back through Groșii Țibleșului - Izvorul Șurii → Strimbu Băiuț is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.