‘A muddy ride into Romania’s dreamy countryside’: cycling the Via Transilvanica | Romania holidays

IIt was about seven minutes after my cycle that the first signs of dependence became apparent. The “Power Assist” button on my avoidance vehicle was more like a morphine click while we climb the misty hills of Bucovina in northern Romania. Sergiu, my group’s guide, knew what I was doing. “Be honest with yourself – only use” turbo “if you have to!” he cried. My thumb curlled up under the handlebars.

In the previous adventures, I resisted help, by maintaining that the power of the battery is the reserve of insertion. Nowadays, however, my pins are not as powerful, and on these vertiginous hills, the additional punch was almost essential. But as with all drugs, moderation is the key. After all, we would not want to lack juice on hills that shelter wolves, bears and the lynx.

I was invited to participate in the inaugural driving of the cyclist of the cyclist (and hiking) of the tour operator cyclist along a section of Romania via Transilvanica. Nicknamed the “Camino de l’Est”, the path is linked to the ancient cattle and livestock trails, making its way to the southwest of Putna, near the Ukrainian border, to the city of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, 870 miles (1,400 km) and at a drying distance from Serbia.

Parties to ecotourism in equal parts, artistic project and economic rescue buoy, Via Transilvanica is a path with a tale. It was designed by the environmentalist Alin Ușeriu and his brother Tiberiu (once imprisoned for an armed robbery and now an ultra -foundation celebrity) who has managed to sail on corruption, the interests of the mafia and the natural obstacles of the carpatian mountain range. It is as much a triumph of resilience as of the planning of the routes. More than four and a half years, defying the chances, they have cut a path uniting seven regions, powered by hundreds of volunteers. The result? A convincing invitation to get lost in the countryside that travels in time in Romania.

Having been solid in participation in a family wedding at home, I arrived in the adventure for two days. By chance, it meant a huge storm, which had given the others in my group, a good asparagus the day before. I caught them, a little swept away by the wind but in good humor, outside a 16th century monastery in Vatra Moldoviței, about 20 miles south of Putna. He has one of the eight churches listed by UNESCO in the region which are unique for their external frescoes, which have been designed, told us Sergiu, as “bible for illiterate”. They were remarkably well preserved thanks to intelligent architecture and chic painting. The voroneț Blue, in rare lapis lazuli, always appears.

Some parts of the path are too stiff and slippery for all bikers except the most advanced, so we approached the morning section on foot. The rain had decreased and the air was full of the smell of damp conifer, exotic soil and wood smoke. The views were already up to the shots in the slow cyclist brochure: the Swiss style mountain meadows, the peaks with points and the farms that would not be in a place in a folk horror film by Robert Eggers.

The cow bells have turned, even if I quickly realized that they were not worn by the heifers, but by the Bucovina shepherd dogs which keep the herd of wolves, bears and hikers who pass. “Stay in the peloton where they will think they have separated you,” said Sergiu. The animals have slowly approached with begging deviations, but the bag of treats ready for Sergiu has kept peace.

If you hike or cycling in these hills, Sergiu is a good man to have at the helm. In addition to being in the born mountains, it was chosen by Tșșuleasa Social – the NGO led by the Ușeriu brothers – to map the Via Transilvanica from the point of view of a cyclist. He duly made a recreation of 870 miles on two wheels. “If you don’t know the trail, you can die,” he warned. “Some climbs are almost vertical.” Indeed, it is the first route of the new Slow Cyclist expedition series – built for more adventurous cyclists, rather than the lunch crowd with the cycle.

That said, our noon stops were simple things of beauty: cold cuts, the redest of tomatoes and homemade cheeses. With more plum brandy on the table, I felt fortified for the afternoon ride. Support vehicles and a friendly team were on site with pumps and Allen keys before putting our irons to push.

“We are about to go up. Would anyone like a sugar? ” asked Sergiu. While we burned calories to a rudimentary ski resort with another all-powerful view, we were grateful for the hazelnut bars he had distributed. So much open space and not a soul in sight. I checked with my group and they had only met three other hikers since the start of the trip.



The next morning started with a soft weaving through meadows dotted with hay grinds in the shape of a pudding. Then, without much warning, we fell into an old forest – the genre that looks like a tale by Grimm brothers. “What lives here?” I asked. “Bears, deer, even the lynx sometimes,” said Sergiu with casualness. “But you will have the chance to see them.”

The forest marked my first attempt at unique conduct. I stayed on the intentional level, letting the others slide in front, then tore – the tongue, my heart hammering – chasing the blur of bikes through the trees. No bear, alas, but shiny.

It is here that I noticed the 250 kg of anthracite slabs, the markers of tracks of different sculptors who stand a sentry each kilometer of the path. Everyone is sculpted and marked with a daring T (for Transilvanica). “It is the longest art gallery in the world,” said Iancu, our second guide. “The path was built by volunteers – people who have abandoned their free time for something bigger than them, so I think that says a lot.”

One of the missions of Via Transilvanica is to stem the flow of people leaving the countryside, giving them a reason to stay or even come back. During lunch during my second day, with Iancu translating, I spoke to our host, who told me that the number of visitors she receives has increased by six years since the opening of the trail in 2022.

The housing of this night at the Moara guest house – all the dreams of carved and alpine wood – have offered another nod to Switzerland. At dinner, I could not resist a second help from the Găluște broth: fleshy semoline dumplings floating in a hug filled with a soup residence. The sector was paprikash chicken and an imposing baked baked pile mixed with unpasteurized cheese on the herds of our hosts.

On the last day, the afternoon race was a ski track and the group’s variable fitness levels have become more obvious. The thumbs planned on the electric assistance button, but even Max Power, it was a challenge. To date, I had found my stride and loved the sweat session. Others struggled, however, which did things a little stop-starting. I would advise the verification, before reserving, that the other members of the group are more or less at your level.

Notwithstanding, the slow cycling team found a good balance between cardio and culture, offering a pink overview of the past and the present in Romania – via a muddy dive in their dream campaign. For three days, I had traveled fairy tale landscapes and eaten like a happy Saxon producer. I have already sworn to come back to roll more from the path.

We have shot the last hill in a loose and breathtaking line and we stopped while Sergiu got friends with a farmer who followed cows with a milk bucket. She gave us a sip. “Not for me, thank you,” I said. “But do you have a plum brandy?”

The slow cyclist offer a Five nights Bucovina shipping Since £ 1,750 per personbased on A group of 12,, includingbadge Airport transfers, a support vehicle and luggage transfers, English -speaking local guides, Five night accommodation, all meals And Activities and Ebike and helmet rental. There are regular scheduled departures between June and Novemberand visits to private groups can be organized on request, ThesLowcyclist.com