Tihău - Dealul Cucului and Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
562 km
Riding-time estimate
12 h 51
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.
562 km from Jibou to Jibou, about 12 h 51 of riding. On the way it passes Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2, Bologa - Grădiște, Roșia Montană Mining Landscape and Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,150 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Scenic road chapters
Tihău - Dealul Cucului → Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2
The ride follows Tihău - Dealul Cucului → Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 for 44 km.
Chapter facts
Length
44 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Tihău - Dealul Cucului
Dealul Cucului means cuckoo hill, and the name fits the place: a low, wooded rise above the village of Tihău, close to the town of Jibou in the Someș valley of Sălaj county, where in spring the cuckoo's call echoes across the meadows. The point belongs to the network of archaeological sites along the Roman frontier of Dacia in the northwest of the province, near the confluence of the Almaș and Someș rivers, a strategic spot where valleys meet and roads cross. As with many of these sites, there may be little to see on the surface, but the location makes sense once you look at the map.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tihău - Dealul Cucului is where the day begins. Next is Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2.
2. Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2
Treznea is a small village in the hills of Sălaj county, eleven kilometres east of Zalău, and its name carries a heavy weight in Romanian history. In September 1940, after northern Transylvania was transferred to Hungary by the Second Vienna Award, Hungarian troops entering the region killed scores of villagers here, Romanians and Jews, in one of the worst atrocities of that time. A memorial in the village remembers the victims. It is a sobering reminder that these quiet hills have seen terrible violence, and a short, respectful stop at the memorial is worth more than any viewpoint on the ride.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 comes up about 44 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bologa - Grădiște.
3. Bologa - Grădiște
The village of Bologa lies in the valley of the Crișul Repede, on the main road between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, where the river cuts through the hills between the Apuseni mountains and the Meseș. On a hill above the village, known locally as Grădiște, the Romans built the fort of Resculum, which guarded one of the main routes into the province of Dacia from the west. The fort was rebuilt several times, from earth and timber to stone, and archaeologists have uncovered its walls, gates and towers. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Dacia. On another hill above the village stand the ruins of a medieval castle, which controlled the same valley in later centuries. Climbing to either site gives fine views over the valley and the surrounding hills.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 96 km into the recorded legs you reach Bologa - Grădiște. Next is Roșia Montană Mining Landscape.
4. Roșia Montană Mining Landscape
Gold has been mined at Roșia Montană, in the Apuseni mountains of western Romania, for over two thousand years. The Romans, who called the place Alburnus Maior, dug an extensive network of galleries into the mountains to extract the gold, and some of these galleries survive, along with wax tablets found in the mines, recording contracts and daily life. In 2021, after years of controversy, the mining landscape of Roșia Montană was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape, about halfway. Next is Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici.
5. Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici
There is a hill above Ighiu called Măgulici, and from its slopes you look straight across the Mureș valley toward Alba Iulia, the old Roman Apulum. That view is the whole point. Apulum was the base of the Thirteenth Legion and the largest Roman centre in Dacia, and the hills around it were dotted with watch posts and small sites that kept an eye on the roads in and out. The frontier lists name a site on Dealul Măgulici, and while there is little to see on the ground beyond the lie of the land, standing there makes the Roman geography readable.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 562 km.
Leg by leg
Tihău - Dealul Cucului to Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2
Tihău - Dealul Cucului → Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 to Bologa - Grădiște
Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 → Bologa - Grădiște is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bologa - Grădiște to Roșia Montană Mining Landscape
Bologa - Grădiște → Roșia Montană Mining Landscape is 118 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape to Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici
Roșia Montană Mining Landscape → Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici to back through Roșia Montană Mining Landscape
Ighiu - Dealul Măgulici → back through Roșia Montană Mining Landscape is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Roșia Montană Mining Landscape to back through Bologa - Grădiște
back through Roșia Montană Mining Landscape → back through Bologa - Grădiște is 118 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Bologa - Grădiște to back through Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2
back through Bologa - Grădiște → back through Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 to Tihău - Dealul Cucului
back through Treznea-Coasta Ciungii 2 → Tihău - Dealul Cucului is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.