Turcoaia Cycling Circuit

DESCRIPTION

Turcoaia Cycling Circuit: Greci – Râioasa – La Cetate – Turcoaia entrance – Iacobdeal Quarry – Bujoru Bulgăresc Hill – Cerna entrance – vineyard – Fundu Plopilor – Greci

Start from the centre of Greci commune, towards the national road, and turn left right before a blue bus stop located on the right side of the road, past the crossroads. Continue on the same street and turn onto the third street on the right. You will immediately leave the village, go past the former state collective farm and you will arrive shortly to a former rubbish dump which is still used by the locals. Here, turn left and climb down to the canal, where you turn right on the road alongside it, until you reach the national road, where you will turn left. Cross the canal and go slightly right, on a dirt road gently climbing alongside the asphalt road. Careful not to take the dirt road leading to Iglița, but keep the road closest to the Măcin – Constanta main road.

Once you have climbed the hill, you will come across another canal (a dry one this time), and you must follow the dirt road alongside it, rather than the one on the right, which leads towards the Danube. Once you have arrived at a confluence of three canals and you have crossed the bridge, you will immediately cross another road where you will turn right over the bridge. From here, you have two choices: either continue on this straight road and reach Troesmis Fortress, or you immediately turn left on a road starting after the bridge and continue through a vineyard, until it crosses an asphalt county road, making the connection to Turcoaia. These two itinerary choices meet again when entering Turcoaia, at the crossroads with the road leading to the former Iacobdeal Quarry. From this point forward, keep the road towards the former quarry (to the left), and when you reach the former quarry, you can visit Iacobdeal Lake, a man-made lake, formed in a basin of the former quarry when an underground water source flooded it. To reach the lake, you must take the second road to the right, and then again to the right.

To continue on our trail, you must turn left on the first road you will encounter in front of the quarry, or go straight forward as you climb down from the lake. Follow this new road up to another quarry, turn right, and then first left to a less used, but still visible dirt road. From here, you keep this road straight forward, until you reach an irrigation canal and turn left. Keeping this road, take the right near the former water pumping plant and exit to the national road, where you turn right, towards Cerna.

In about 400 meters, turn left to a dirt road (here you will see the signs for the riding centre of Munții Măcinului National Park), then immediately turn left and go straight ahead, past the vineyard and second to the right, in front of a water basin at ground level; here also start the vineyard terraces. Climb the uphill road, along the grape plantations and exit to a ridge offering you a marvellous view over the Cernei Valley. On this hill ridge, which is in fact a pasture, dotted with isolated trees, you must follow the most visible road, but with caution, for there are many turtles in the area. The path through the forest is difficult to find, due to the roads lack of use lately.

Therefore, we recommend that for this last leg you use the GPS track or a local guide who knows the area well.

For an easier onsite orientation, we recommend that you use “Munții Măcinului” map, available in various locations in the destination, as well as on the websites www.eco-romania.ro and www.zenithmaps.ro.