Notes from the saddle A note from Peter My workshop smells of degreaser and coffee. Four bikes up on the stands, chains out and going through the ultrasonic cleaner, and a box of brake pads I ordered back in July that I finally got round to opening this week. All of it is for September, which is our busiest month and the one I'd keep if I could only have one. The summer crowds have gone home, the mornings start cold enough for arm warmers while the afternoons still get warm, and every village we ride through is in the middle of harvest, busy with whatever is being brought in that week. 
Postcard from the road Tour spotlightYou ride out of the Olt valley on the first morning, and by the second afternoon you are through the hop valleys and into the fortified villages: Alma Vii, Biertan, Mălâncrav and Viscri, on roads where you meet more tractors and horse carts than cars. Days are unhurried: around 60 kilometres and 350 metres of climbing, which leaves the afternoons free for the things that are actually the point. A church key borrowed from a neighbour. A long lunch that was meant to be twenty minutes. A night at the Apafi Manor in Mălâncrav, which is as close to sleeping inside the history as it gets. One moment from the routeThe last day is the one I look forward to. Riding towards Bran, a wall of limestone comes up on your right and stays there most of the afternoon: Piatra Craiului, the King's Rock, a single ridge about 25 kilometres long that tops out above 2,200 metres. Sheep grazing the fields, and the whole ridge behind them. 
Distance
60 km per day · ~350 m
Where you sleep
Saxon guesthouses · one night at Apafi Manor
Best meal
Village lunch in Biertan, straight off the harvest
Cultural highlight
Painted ceiling, Mălâncrav church
Support
Van always with you
E-bike option
Yes, same route
"Peter's local and historical knowledge provided for an incredible in-depth experience we could never come close to without him guiding us. The home stays were super cozy and welcoming while the local gastro points were delicious."— Jake W. · Saxon Heritage Trail, April 2026 The Wiredonkey difference
Locally sourced, home-cooked meals
Cooked by the people who host you, from what the village brought in that week. In September that means plums, peppers and whatever came out of the garden that morning. 
Support van always with you
Bags, spare wheels, water, snacks, and a seat if the day turns out longer than you wanted. Nobody gets left on a hill. Stay in touch We post moments from our tours, gravel-road clips, and what's on the table at the guesthouse. |
