Secășel - Alba Iulia, Via Transilvanica

Terra Dacica - day 4

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We continue our foray from Terra Dacica on the Via Transilvanica from the village of Secășel, where we stopped the previous afternoon after the experience described here https://mytravel.express/drumetii-mte/blaj-secasel-via-transilvanica/. We are heading to Alba Iulia, the county seat of Alba county, about which you can read an extensive article here https://mytravel.express/ghiduri-mte/ghid-turistic-alba-iulia-3/.

About the Secășel - Alba Iulia route

It's a long route, it's our first endurance test, especially as we'll be riding most of the day in the sun, on open ground. Plus the route is designed to go around a lot.

Route map

(click on objectives for extended version)

Technical box

Distance / duration : 32 km / 7.5 hours

Difficulty: medium

Level difference : 546 m

Minimum altitude : 215 m in Lunca Mureșului

Maximum altitude : 495 m after the first ascent after Berghin

Comments: there is a lot of off-road walking, Alba Iulia offers many accommodation options

1. Secășel - Berghin

We return to the main road that crosses the village of Secășel, near the bridge, and continue to the right, on the DJ106K, until the first branch at the wooden church, also on the right, on Tisa Street, which we follow. We quickly enter Lunca street, half left, which takes us out of the village. The signposts are well placed and guide us correctly. The road passes through fields of alfalfa and sunflowers. A rabbit quickly hides in front of us and we pass a flock of sheep, where we have a chat with the shepherd. The road leads to the village of Berghin, where it becomes paved.

sunflower field

VT bollard with bunny

reeds

VT terminal

2. Berghin - Straja - Limba

In Berghin we are on the DJ107, we cross a stream and at the first intersection we turn right onto Alexandru cel Bun street, which will take us out of the town. We start to climb to a clearing, from where we have a wide view of the Făgăraș and Cindrel Mountains. We enter the forest where the trail continues to make a stop in the shade. Further down we find DJ017 near the entrance to the village of Straja and we follow it until the entrance to the village, where we turn right through the village of Straja, on Nicolae Titulescu street. In the village we pick apples and blackberries. After the village, the asphalt is deteriorated, it has not been maintained for a long time. At the first crossroads there is a monument, from here a shortcut to the right descends towards Ciugud and the Mures Valley, after which you can see Alba Iulia. We continue straight ahead. We have a superb view of Alba iulia and the Apuseni Mountains behind it. Our detour passes by the most beautiful VT marker we come across, actually a monument with 3 markers on which we read several interesting messages. The winding road starts to descend. At the bottom of the slope is the spring of Limba, a spring with cold water refreshes us, as today we have traveled many kilometers in the scorching sun. We enter the village of Limba on the banks of the Mures. Here we follow the Sarmizegetusa street, then a little to the left the Dacilor street, alias DJ107C.

he works with sheep

shade in the forest

monument to the VT terminals

Easy for anyone! Tibi Useriu

Alba Iulia Panorama

Drills at work

despite the clouds a hot day will follow

VT terminal with guitar

3. Language - Alba Iulia

The village of Limba is part of the commune of Ciugud, made famous thanks to the hard-working mayor who developed an industrial platform on the outskirts of Ciugud, invested in a modern school, Smart, rehabilitated the infrastructure and allowed the creation of the largest golf course in Romania, Theodora Golf Club. As you leave the village, turn right off the road onto a path that leads through a forest to the banks of the Mures, which flows smooth, wide and dirty.

We return for kilometers along the banks of the Mures, seeing on the right, higher up, the almost parallel road on which we came. We pass under a disused bridge and at the intersection with the road coming from the right from the village of Șeușa, commune of Ciugud, we cross the Mures river. In front of us we have the A10 highway, which we enter after the junction with the DJ 107, on Calea Alba Iulia. On the other side of the highway the road is called Calea Ciugudului, it crosses the Ampoi river and the railroad and enters the city of Alba Iulia, the county seat of Alba county, about which you can read a guide on the following link https://mytravel.express/ghiduri-mte/ghid-turistic-alba-iulia-3/.

It should also be mentioned that the Via Transilvanica VT project was conceived in Alba Iulia's Alba Carolina Citadel in 2018, 100 years after the Great Union. In 2022, the completion of the VT route was also celebrated in Alba Iulia.

Guided by the VT marker, we walk through the Lipoveni neighborhood, along the streets Mărășeșeti, Oituz, Libertății, Mărăști, Regina Maria, which lead us to the iuliu Maniu Square, where we stamp the VT booklet at the Hotel Transilvania.

Spring of the Tongue

Mures Valley

VT terminal with smiley

Mures river

Conclusion

The fourth day of the Terra Dacica on the Via Transilvanica was more tiring, for the first time covering more than 30 km in one day. The final destination of the day, Alba Iulia, which we had in our visual spectrum for the last few hours of the ride, was the motivation to see this route through. I was also impressed by the monument of the three VT markers.

All the best!

Steps:

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