➌ Hiking on the Cernegura hill (to the Bahrin Hermitage)

HIKING ON THE CERNEGURA HILL (TO THE BAHRIN HERMITAGE)

DIRECTIONS AND ORIENTATION: And this nature hike, like the other tourist routes marked in the application, has its starting point at the Royal Court, the heart of our city. Those who want to shorten it a little, can take their personal car to Căprioara Bridge. From the Căprioara Restaurant, you go up a winding path through the forest to Borsanca Meadow, a place frequented by locals in the summer for "traditional barbecues". From here, the path climbs steeper through the forest, suitable mountain shoes being mandatory. In some places, the route intersects with the forest road that starts near the entrance to the Tineretului beach. It should also be mentioned that the route is not marked, but it is easy to find. So even so, you can't really get lost! The path is trodden by hundreds of tourists, lovers of hiking, who come year after year and enjoy the peace and charm of the forest. Once you reach the top of Cernegura (821 m), the path will direct your steps towards the crest of the hill, to a viewpoint of magical beauty. Here is a rest stop where you can rest and admire the mountain peaks in the area. From the top, if you want to continue to the hermitage, it's only a few minutes' walk.

OTHER DETAILS: The Cernegura hill guards the southwestern part of the city of Piatra-Neamț, being covered with the most dense and varied vegetation so that the road to the top is a real challenge. At the beginning of the route, you will be greeted by deciduous forests where you will find specimens of beech, birch, hornbeam, oak, cherry, apple and poplar, after which you will enter coniferous forests consisting of fir, spruce and pine species. Along with these you will find shrubs such as rosehip, horn and hazel, but also numerous species of grasses, flowers and plants characteristic of the steppe.

LOGISTICS DETAILS:

- Route under homologation and marked with the blue triangle (details).

- Difficulty: medium.

- Level difference: approximately 500-600m.

- Total length of the route: 6-7 km (one way only). From Bahrin Hermitage you can ask someone to come pick you up by car or talk to the monks to find a way back to town. Of course, that is if you don't want to go back on the same mountain route.

- Estimated travel time: 4-5 hours, but which may vary depending on the composition of the hiking group and the time allocated to rest stops, for photos or simply to admire the beauty of the forest.