Escaping the summer sun

We had such a great MTB tour recently so we figured it’s worth a few paragraphs. Every time we have a very able and willing client ussually leads to a massive session! So our choice was one of our favourite ranges, the Bucegi mountains.

Our itinerary had quite a cool combination of pretty uphills but the cherry on top was the ride down. We had our eyes on a pretty technical and interesting descent.

Here’s some cool info on one of Romania’s most impressive mountain range.

So first thing’s first, weather was all over the place, beautiful bird blue sky one moment and dark storm clouds the other. The heavens opened up at one point but funnily (not that funny tbh) it was mostly hale. We lucked out though, because it was small and it was quite a fun experience and we didn’t get wet at all!

This has its upsides since the weather kept pretty cool, not really the July temperatures you’d expect. Our trail started from Moeciu de Sus, pedalling on a forest road which eventually leads to a very beautiful picturesque trail.

The way up to Bucșa peak is just covered with flowers and “jnepeniș”, these are pine like bushes that have become sort of a symbol for the alpine meadows of the Bucegi mountains.

Check out our schedule of MTB tours

From there to Strungulița pass our trail turns into a mainly uphill ride on a gravel road. Once we reach one of the main checkpoints, Strunga refuge, it’s time for some well deserved lunch and rest. This is a spot where winds tend to be on the harsher side so having a nice cosy wooden hut to relax and recharge is really a treat!

Now it’s time for our ride down which, as mentioned earlier is quite a tricky one. It’s basically a long rock garden with a very mellow off-camber so it lends itself to some gnarly and aggressive riding if it suits the rider’s style.

Our trail went by quite a few shepherd’s huts, with sheep and cows so caution is necessary. We say caution because sheep dogs in the Romanian mountains can sometimes be quite dangerous. Especially when travelling alone or with no knowledge of how to act in a situation like this.

A cool contrast whilst riding in this spot is when the rock garden turns into a very enjoyable flowy forest trail. We rode down through the very scenic Guțanu meadow and then continued on the ridgeline that neighbours the villages of Simon and Moeciu. Here the views are pretty much picture perfect Romanian countryside.

Lovely lush fields with people working on their crops, flocks of sheep and houses scattered all around these untouched lands. Not to mention nature’s work, endless pastures of flowers and beautiful pine forests.

We do get a smooth transition from Narnia-like views to our bustling city life since the final part of the trail is about 3 km of tarmac, all the way to our car.

Be sure to check out our GPX track of the entire tour and write to us for any info and questions regarding our services!