Abandoned graveyard in the forest

On the trail of long lost villages, lookouts, a forest cemetery and a castle ruin, all these during a roundtrip in the Vértes mountain.

Details of the walk:

Distance: 15.6 kilometres
Route: https://out.ac/ykbRP
How to get there: By public transport: Bus nr 767 from Budapest or from Tatabánya
By car: Parking at Bika Csárda

On a spring weekend we ventured a little further from the capital to do a hike on one of the classic routes of the Vértes mountain.The starting and end point of the tour was an abandoned restaurant by the side of the road outside of Tatabánya.
After walking up a bit on the blue + road and reached the scarse houses of Csákányospuszta, we turned at an ancient willow-tree with a huge trunk. I wonder what kind of things it saw during its long lifetime. The path leads through meadows and passes the ruins of a temple. In the middle age, a small village used to be here but the ruins are the only sign of it today.

We reached the side of the forest at a tourist house, where a sign shows that the Mária Gully is close by. Our route would circle back to the gully, so we started to hike up to reach the lookout tower. The valley reminded me of a natural temple as we strolled under the dome canopy of the trees and the forest floor was carpeted with hundreds of yellow flowers.The rise up to the Kis-Kopasz-hegy (Smaller Bald Mountain if I was to translate it word by word, but who comes up with these names?) was relatively short but quite steep. All this trudging uphill better make my backside fabulous or I will be pissed.

Up until this point we followed the blue + path, however to get to the the lookout tower we did a small detour on the blue triangle.

Filled up with the beautiful panorama, we carried on to our next destination, a forest cemetery that once belonged to the village of Körtvélyes. The light was filtered by the leaves giving a soft, green hue to the tiny graveyard. What a final resting place for those few souls, they became one with nature again. Seeing this cemetery was a unique experience, a little enchanted spot: mystical, utterly calm but with the feeling of decay.

Next, we reached a T-shaped junction and turned right on the blue trail. The next part was quite depressing, the forest is ravaged by logging, whole patches were cut clear, other parts on the verge of being cut down. I felt sad, angry and helpless. Why is mankind is so intent on destroying?
We slowly left behind the devastation on our way to the ruins of Vitány castle. Presumably it was built in the 13th century, during the Turk invasion it bounced between the Hungarians and Ottomans, finally in 1598, the Hungarians blew it up so it wouldn’t end up in Turkish hands. Then the rocks of the fortress were taken and re-used by the locals, despite it’s troubled history, today it still cuts an imposing figure, the sand coloured blocks contrasting nicely with the blue sky.

We descended into the valley, the trees along the path were decorated by someone with artistic aspirations, Hungarian crowns and guiding signs were carved into the trees. Shortly after passing the Rockenbauer memory tree (the founding figure of nature filming in Hungary ), the green and blue trail splits and we took the green one but only for a short time, then we continued on an unmarked path that leads to the Gráciák Bérce (Crag of the Graces’), rock formations at the edge of the mountain with a wonderful view. I was on the lookout for wild garlic as I read that there’s a large patch somewhere on this trail. I was already preparing myself for disappointment when we spotted the white carpet of the wild garlic flowers. As we got closer, we hit a wall of garlicky perfume, it made my mouth water, but they don’t taste good after blooming so we didn’t pick any, maybe next year.

Two sandwiches and hundred photos later, we carried on with the hike and descended to the Szép Ilonka spring, which was a bit of a let down for me ( I even forgot to take a photo), especially since we came down so far into the valley only to check it out and had to climb back on the steep path . As we approached the T-shaped junction again (where we turned right to reach Vitány Castle) , we passed along a few patches of pine trees that looked a little ominous – I wouldn’t be surprised if the witch’s gingerbread house was hidden somewhere the trees – and a quaint little chapel.

We walked along the Mária Gully on a narrow path and our progress made slower by fallen trees blocking the way, the trench below us became deeper and deeper. Halfway through great, white limestone steps can be found where once upon a time water rushed along but sadly it’s dry as a desert nowadays. Next to the limestones, when we looked up to our right we saw a moss covered grey rock wall with ivy snaking around, looking like an entrance to an ancient Inca city. Maybe the rift in the wall would have taken us to El Dorado, but it looked a little too narrow for a person my size, we will go back and try to go through once my beach body is ready… so never.

We slowly left the gorge and arrived back to the tourist house and made our way back to the car … but first I made a ‘few’ photos of the lovely fleecy clouds sailing across the blue sky. In Hungarian, we call them lamb clouds because they are so fluffy and white like lambs, although they remind me of yummy candies that would taste like marshmallows. With that whimsical parting thought, see you in the next post.

Spartacus trail, an iconic path at the Danube bend

Glimpse of the Danube between the Visegrádi mountains and the Börzsöny

A trail with a badass name but luckily for us it does not require any hardcore hiking skills to complete.The route is not unknown to Hungarians as it’s one of the most emblematic path for hikers in the Pilis area but not as overcrowded as the other popular ones in the region.
The name presumably comes from the 60s when the Local Industrial Cooperatives Spartacus Tourist Association wanted to open up the trail for hikers except the hunters did not accede and it’s only open for the public since 2015.

Details of the walk

Distance: 14 kilometres
Elevation: 290 metres
Route: http://out.ac/eoBEp (GPX and KML formats are available)
How to get there: By public transport bus 870 from Szentendre to Pilisszentlászló

I was really looking forward to complete this roundtrip but apparently I’m no favourite with weather Gods as it was raining a lot, therefore we had to postpone the hike, which made me a grumpy cat. Finally, after almost 2 weeks of not so nice weather, we set out for Pilisszentlászló on a Sunday morning. I was all dressed up in my new autumn hiking gear because what better way to break in new hiking shoes than during a more than 10 kilometres long walk. What I smartly forgot to take into consideration is that the trails might be a teeny-tiny muddy after so much rain/such a deluge. What can I say, my determination to carry out what I planned and my wish to parade around in my new footwear blinded me. Result: extremely muddy boots and extra workout to walk in them. Although I don’t complain because it totally worth it.

Itinerary

We started our journey by following the green sign from the car park at the edge of Pilisszentlászló. The road passed by meadows with the peaks of Pilis in the background and slowly reached the forest on a wide dirt road.

You can’t miss the start of the famous path, as a warning sign tries to frighten away the less determined hikers. ‘ Attention! The Spartacus trail contains difficult parts, to complete these, adequate preparation, equipment and physical state are required!’ Don’t let the sign deter you, a nice pair of hiking boots is more than enough to tackle the path.

Warning sign at the start of the Spartacus trail — Warning sign at the start of the trail

The narrow, one man route winds around the steep mountain sides, while giving a marvelous view to the valleys and mountains around with a glimpse to the Danube-bend. Thanks to the previous rainy period the fallen leaves had that special, spicy autumn smell wafting around and all kinds of mushrooms popped up. The mushrooms brought out the nature photographer in me and in return the grumpiness in my boyfriend as I kept stopping to immortalize them through close up photos. The mushroom gallery is at the end of the blog post.

After passing the viewpont to the river, the trail lead us back deeper in the forest and a little later we reached the Jenő kunyhó, a small wooden hut nesting between the grey trunks of the tall beech trees, the dark color of the wood contrasting with the yellow carpet of the fallen leaves. Once again, I felt like in a fairy tale, the hut could have easily belonged to the seven gnomes.The cabin is now deserted but it’s still has some furniture and a cute little stove.

The green trail descends slowly into Apát-kúti valley and eventually ends at the Bertényi Miklós botanical garden. This time we skipped on visiting since the second half of the round trip was still ahead us but we will come back to check it out. Right next to the garden, you can find Telgárthy-rét a nice stretch of green, a lovely spot for picnics and a little further down, the more adventurous ones can even catch their own fish for the said picnic at the hunting lodge.

We passed these by and continued our walk following the red sign. The first few hundred meters are on an asphalt road, at a barrier the red path leads us to the side of the stream. Just follow the sign to Kaán-forrás (Kaán spring) and if needed refill your water bottles for the rest of walk. Basically, from now we only followed the path along the stream that lead us deeper and deeper into Apát-kúti valley.We walked along moss covered rocks and tall trees creaking in the wind. The path can be walked comfortably with the exception of the stream crossing, which can be challenging but it only adds to the sense of challenge.

Wooden sign showing the way to Kaán spring

At the end of the roundtrip, before the trail took us back to Pilisszentlászló, we even passed a Zen Temple, called Dharma’s Treasure. To be honest, a buddhist temple felt out of place, but I guess the forest does have a zen vibe to it.

Road leading back to Pilisszentlászló — Entrance leading to the Zen temple

The promised mushroom compilation for those who are interested:

Finally, this is just a suggestion on how to explore the area, there are many other options, so I suggest everyone to get out from between the four walls and explore at your leisure.

Vasas-precipice where the mountain swallows you up

Autumn is full-on with it’s eye-pleasing colors and with a weather that is ideal to get out from between the four walls and have an invigorating hike in nature.
I was searching for our next destination in the region and happened upon one with several springs, fascinating rock formations and a narrow precipice, my interest was piqued straight away. The hike itself did not disappoint, I was buzzed up all along the way.

Details of the walk:

Distance: 8,1 kilometres
Elevation: 270 metres
Route: http://out.ac/ebbWa (GPX and KML formats are available)
How to get there? By public transport with bus 868 from Szentendre. Check the timetable as it only passes by once a day in each direction. By car on a bumpy road from Szentendre, enter Lajos-forrás in the GPS to get there.

Itinerary

The round trip starts from the Lajos Spring, an intersection of 6 different hiking trails. According to the legend King Louis (Lajos) the Great liked to hunt in the region, but the spring wasn’t named after him. The basin of the spring was built in 1908 and was named after baron Lajos Podmaniczky, owner of the area and the hunting lodge.Next to the spring stands a now-abandoned tourist house where we start our walk on the yellow path.

Lajos Spring, the starting and ending point of the hike

Shortly after the tourist house the trail turns left and after a few stairs overgrown by plants, reaches an immense clearing dotted with campfire spots. We crossed the clearing and continued on the yellow trail into the wood.

The sunlight filtering through the vibrantly yellowing crowns of the tall trees, the crisp autumn air, the sound of the leaves softly falling from the branches, I had the feeling of walking in a still-life painting. No other human being could be seen or heard, a fact that only enhanced the incredibly calming experience.

A short while after crossing the asphalt road, opens the yellow+ trail that turns to the left leading to Cseresznyés-Völgy ( Cherry Valley) but our route continues on the yellow sign. Winding through the colored forest, I was in awe of all the shades of my favorite color, yellow (surprise, surprise).
The yellow O trail leads the second spring of our hike, the Csepel Spring. The name pays tribute to the workers of the Weiss Manfréd Acél- és Fémművek (Manfréd Weiss Steel and Metal Works), or colloquially Csepel Művek (“Csepel Works”) who used to hike here frequently. It is nested in a small valley between towering beech trees and giant horsetails. On the beech trees along the path, we found carvings from the 70s.

Gettig down in the valley where the spring is nested — Yellow O path leading to the spring

A few minutes after returning to the yellow trail, reaching another intersection, we took a little detour on the yellow Ω track to the Vasas- szakadék (Vasas-precipice). For me, this was the highlight of the hike. The formation is made of 8 meters high andesitic tuff and you get ‘swallowed ‘ by the earth if you walk into it. The sides of the ravine are less than 2 meters apart so by extending my arms I could reach both of them. Places such as Vasas szakadék, bring out the not so deeply buried child in me, I just want to explore them and discover more of their hidden secrets.

After we have sufficiently checked every nook of the precipice, we went back to the yellow path and continued our hike up to the Kő-hegy ( Stone Hill).

Walking on the trail up to the Stone Mountain — Trail leading up to the Stone Mountain

On the top, we found a lovely tourist house that has been open and serving the hikers since 1933. The inside of the house is also charming with old signs and hiking accessories from the past. To refill our batteries, we decided to sample their kitchen and have a little rest, I really recommend their goose greasy bread with red onions ( Hungarian specialty) and crépes.

Quaint decor in the house — János Czibulka tourist house

The plateau gives a great view to Szentendre, or so I’ve read because on the day of our hike, the town was hidden by a thin layer of fog.With our bellies full, we pushed on to complete the second half of the trip.
Across the clearing starts the green signed trail that took us to the rock formations and the Petőfi viewpoint. According to the memorial plaque the famous Hungarian poet, Sándor Petőfi took a brief rest here when he was hiking in the area with his friends. Even with the mist, the view was quite nice and the area’s most interesting rock formations can be seen here: Mushroom rock or more commonly known as Napoleon’s hat.

Walking on the paths among trees — Tree tunnel

Rock formation on the way to Petőfi viewing point — Tree tunnel

The green trail zigzagging down from Stone Mountain takes us into a valley, where we found our third spring of the day, named János Spring. Next to it we found a tiny wooden bridge that was painted like a colorful rainbow by the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party.

Standing on a bigger rock — On our way to János Spring

After a short upwards walk, we turned right on to the blue cross trail, which was the final leg of our round trip. Sometimes the path goes on a wider dirt road, sometimes it goes up to the woods. Be prepared, the final kilometers of the hike elevate sneakily so you can complete your cardio workout as well.

The gorgeous yellow and copper brown colors of the trees made the hike incredibly stunning but nature is always beautiful no matter the time of the year so get your backpack and give it a go.

Dera gorge

Not a fan of longer hikes but still want to get out of the city and immerse yourself in nature? Dera gorge is the destination for you.

Details of the walk

Distance: 1,5km
Duration: 30 mins
How to get there? By car: Coming from Pomáz, on the left there will be an unmarked asphalt road to the left, 3-4 meters after the 15 kilometers signpost
By public transport: HÉV until Pomáz then bus 860,861 until the first stop in Pilisszentkereszt ( in this case you will start your hike from the village until the other end of the gorge)

Signpost near the car park — Signpost showing the way from the car park

As confessed in a previous blog post, I have an inexplicable attraction to gorges, so after finding out that Moonlight-dike (Interested? Check out the post of our hike )is not the only one in the vicinity of Budapest, it went straight on to my bucket list.
The name itself means chams and was given by the serb minority living in the area.
The walk takes us along the Dera stream’s (less known name Kovács stream) bed on a well-trodden path, through charming wooden bridges. The whole gorge has a fairy tale feeling to it, with the big limestone rocks and the trees growing everywhere. The place could easily be a backdrop for a Snow White movie. As we went there in the middle of summer,the stream itself could only be seen in a few places, the soft gurgle of the water enhanced the calm, romantic atmosphere and the canopy of the trees provided a much needed shelter from the scorching sun.

This is also a short blog post, just as the hike itself, and unlike our previous treks, this is not a round trip, from here if you wish, you can continue on the trail and walk a little more until the village of Pilisszentkereszt or go up to the tourist house of mountain Som.

Moonlight-dike, a mystical place hidden within the forest

For some reason, I always had an inexplicable affinity for gorges, loved to explore them when we went abroad but never really thought that I can find one so close to my home. Therefore I got really excited upon discovering the Moonlight-dike ( Holdvilág-árok in Hungarian): a beautiful forest, fascinating rock formations, proximity to Budapest; the ingredients for a great excursion. So I packed my yellow backpack and we ventured out of the city to explore a place that looked gorgeous on the photos. The pictures don’t do justice to the Moonlight-dike, in reality it’s even more enthralling.
Crossing the stream on small rocks and fallen tree branches, walking along the gorge ‘corridor’ surrounded by steep walls, passing by trees with their roots visible. The whole place has an enchanted forest feeling, which is no surprise as long ago it was a sacred place and a burial site. Supposedly, here stood the city of Attila The Hun and Árpád (the head of the confederation of the Hungarian tribes) was buried here as well.
I’m not a religious person but the forest did have a peculiar atmosphere, as if a fairy might pop out from behind one the trees at any moment. Sadly this did not happen but one can always hope.

Details of the walk:

Important: Not advised to visit the gorge on rainy days or after a rainy period as the trails get slippery and the stream level rises. My bum wishes we would have heeded this advice because we did the hike after a few days of heavy rain and I slipped. Result: a quite muddy backside and a few scratches here and there. Conclusion: keep the advice of the hiking websites, they do know what they are talking about.
Distance: 5.3 km
Duration: 2-2.5 hours with a comfortable walking pace

How to get there?
By car from the Pomáz-Dobogókő road approximately 400 meters after the Csobánka junction turn right. It’s a small, unmarked road, with a car park at the end ( although it would be closer to the truth if I described it as a clearing where you can leave the car but these are just semantics).
By bus, take the line from Pomáz to Pilisszentlászló, get off at the Csikóváraljai turistaház stop.

The itinerary
From the road,we took the path marked with the red line sign, the first part of the trail is quite overgrown but don’t let that discourage you.

Moonlight-dike, start of the path — Start of the red line trail

We followed this clearly-marked track that at one point took a right turn leading deeper in the woods. After about 15 minutes we reached an intersection with a sign reminding the hikers that everyone takes the walk at their own risk.

At this intersection, we say goodbye to the red line sign and start to follow the red cross that leads us to the heart of the gorge. By following the stream, we arrived at a clearing, here a small sign told us that the Moonlight-dike is one of the 13 Hungarian Religious Memorial Points of the country.

After a short walk, we reached the Domini spring where we could quench our thirst with clear, fresh water.

From here, the trail becomes more adventurous and challenging, the gorge becomes narrower, the rocks bigger and the hikers have to tackle more and more wooden stairs and natural obstacles. This was one of my favourite parts of the walk as climbing around, up-down on the rocks, I felt like a little girl again. About a 1 km after the Domini spring, the red cross sign goes left up on the hill but you should continue on the trail within the gorge, otherwise you won’t see the most fascinating part of the whole walk. We foolishly followed other hikers thus missing the cave, the white rock walls and the climb up on the Meteor ladder. We re-joined the track at the top of the ladder.

The walk continued over a wooden bridge and then even though it seems the narrow canyon between the rocks is not passable, we kept on going as we’re badass ( also we had a map but let’s stick with the badass adjective). The canyon continues for 50-60 meters and going through it is a real adventure, especially if you cross it after a rainy period, I involuntarily tested the waterproof property of my new shoes several times.

At the end of the canyon, we took the stairs up to a small clearing, a few paces away we started to follow the green cross trail markers. The path starts to go down, crossing several times a wide forestry road. 10-15 minutes later we took the path marked with the green circle, which led us to another spring called Gyopár but don’t count on filling up your water bottles here, as the water only trickles from the spring. To the right of the spring, we followed the green square sign that led us back to the car park.