July 2018 visit to Transylvania

July 11th – 22nd: we are looking for a small team of hardworking wildlife enthusiasts to work with us and the local farming community to cut and bring in the hay crop from the mountain meadows. This will be part of the 10th International Scything and Haymaking Festival run in the eastern area of Transylvania by Attila Sarig and the Pogany-Havas Association in conjunction with the Barbara Knowles Fund. EuCAN will attend the first week; the second week will run from July 28th until August 5th.

Romania and Transylvania in particular, have some of the most biodiverse hay meadows in the world as a result of the traditional low-input, very small scale agricultural systems that predominate there. Many of the farmers rely on horses and oxen for transport, so hay is of special importance to them as a ‘fuel’.

We will enjoy the scything and gathering in of the hay crop on at least five of the days. You do not need to be an experienced scyther but need to be fit and prepared for strenuous work on steep slopes. In addition there will be folk music and dancing, wonderful local food and excursions to enjoy the area and its amazingly rich wildlife. Mid-July will be an excellent time for butterflies and moths as well as the flora of the mountains and valleys.

2016 – our base for two nights in the mountain haymeadows

Rake making

We have added four nights on to the itinerary before the haycamp to spend in the area close to Miercurea Ciuc where there are some spectacular butterfly sites as well as places of historical and cultural interest. We will stay in a guesthouse nearby. The extra cost of this will be around £125 – it is highly recommended to enable participants to enjoy more of the country and its biodiversity.

Pallas’ Fritillary with Spotted Fritillaries July 2011

Attila has put together a programme for the week – click here.

To see the photos from our 2016 visit to the hay festival, click here. A EuCAN group visited this area of Romania in 2011 – click here for a report of the visit. This collection of photos from our visit in 2011 might also be of interest.

For the haycamp itself, the price is £275 for the 7 nights full board, shared accommodation and local transport, excluding the cost of your return journey to/from Transylvania. You will be collected from a nearby train station in Romania. The additional four nights based in the guesthouse will cost £125 (see booking form).

We have produced a flier for this visit – if you can help by sending it on to your email or social media contacts, it would enable us to spread the message more widely.

To enrol, please complete the booking form and email it back to nigel@eucan.org.uk