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.

National Blue Trail – Hike and the City

We finally started the Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra), which is a rather well known hiking route in Hungary. Before I dive into our hike, I’d like to write briefly about the Blue Trail itself. In a nutshell, a path of 1168.7 kilometres runs through the northern part of the country, the main aim is to better acquaint the hungarian countryside, the local sights and of course to entice people to spend more time outdoors. Divided into 27 parts, the hikers collect stamps along the way in the dedicated Blue Trail notebook as a proof of achivement. Each stamp is different, the image depicts the place where it is placed.
Let me tell you, stamping is really satisfying and the collector in me rejoiced everytime we added a new one.

As we just started this “quest”, we chose the shortest leg (only 14.3 kilometers) which is also the closest to where we live in Budapest. A wise decision as we are still in couch potato mode after the winter months of eating and sleeping.

Itinerary

This blog post will be different from the previous ones as the blue routes are so well marked, I see no point on telling the exact directions, but rather an account of my experiences.The part of the trail that we completed, goes from Hűvösvölgy( Budapest) to the Rozália brick factory at Üröm.We started from the station of the Children’s Railway and immediately collected our first stamp and you know what they say, you never forget your first one.

The public transport station at Hűvösvölgy

After watching the cute, old train leaving the station , we started the hike by crossing the road and then off we went into the forest. I immediately felt better, nature really is a balm for the soul. A few birds were already calling for spring with their song, a woodpecker was working away on a tree somewhere, the plants already started to sprout.

The path went along the edge of the glider airport, that morning the vast field was not used by gliders but dogs and their humans. At the edge of the field, we found a city border marker back from 1879 and a little bit further on another marker telling that the wildlife park of King Matthias used to be here.

Airfield at Hármashatárhegy with mountains in the background

Our next stop was the Árpád viewpoint, from where we enjoyed the beautiful view of the city. The viewpoint, which has a Transylvanian vibe was built on 1929 and it’s a popular hiking destination in Budapest as it’s reachable with an easy walk and view is quite something. I couldn’t find anywhere the reason for naming it Árpád, as neither the designer, nor the sponsor was called thus. Then in a Wikipedia article I happened upon the information that supposedly the tomb of chieftain Árpád is at the base of the mountain. So, we will go with this one.

The stone building of the Árpád viewpoint

The next part of the hike was really exciting to me as we climbed up to the Hármashatár mountain (although I feel a bit silly calling these mountains as the highest point is 495 meters, so maybe very high hills?) and I got a closer look on the radio tower, the one I have been watching from my appartment’s window for the last 5 years. It feels good to know what’s up there plus now I have a tale to tell to whoever comes over.

The radio tower at the Hármashatár mountain — Up, up, up we go

Climbing up to the peak of Hármashatár mountain — Up, up, up we go

The literal translation of Hármashatár is triple border as until 1873, the mountain top was the common border of Buda, Óbuda and Pesthidegkút.
Up on the top can be found another viewpoint in the shape of octagon, named after Glucker Károly. Another bird’s eye view of the city, a different part this time, a one closer to home as we watched the district where we live from above.

The octagon shape of the Guckler Károly viewpoint — Look to the left

Walking up the wood stairs of the Guckler Károly viewpoint — Look to the left

In the last part of our hike, we first went down and then up to Csúcs-hegy (Peak mountain) I would have preferred to skip to going down and then up again after climbing up to Hármashatár mountain, but without climbing up, you can’t enjoy the view (I’m such a wise woman).

Path among the pine trees — Don’t forget to look up…

Roots snaking above ground — Don’t forget to look up…

It felt exhilarating to leave the four walls and to stretch out our limbs, even though we’re sadly out of shape. My legs felt like they were made of metal by the end and I was craving something sugary.The weird thing is that a year ago I wasn’t really into hiking and now I’m hooked and addicted to them. If we skip several weekends, I start to become edgy and not so nice to live with. Thankfully, we have 1154 kilometres of trail to complete, so we won’t get bored.

See you at the next leg of the Blue Trail and don’t forget: Feeling Blue? Hike the Blue!

Stamps in the Blue Trail notebook — The stamps we collected during the 14th part of the Trail

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.

Tihany Peninsula, a unique natural treasure hiding in plain sight

Tihany is not unknown to tourists as it’s a popular destination famous for the Abbey, the quaint little houses and the lavender fields. However, the peninsula has much more to offer and the weaving net of hiking trails makes it easy to discover every part of it.
We wanted to pack as many sights into one day as possible so we chose the long route that snakes around the peninsula. I had my doubts before we set off as 13 kilometers with hill climbing seemed quite ambitious for a beginner hiker but we completed the route within 4.5 hours and the whole experience was highly rewarding.
We, Hungarians love to say that the Balaton is the Hungarian Sea, which I thought to be a boring cliché but I stand corrected as throughout the day I had the feeling that we’re walking alongside the sea. The unbelievably blue water sparkling in the sunlight and dotted with white sailboats and the cicada chorus reminded me of Croatia or Greece.
We experienced varied geological scenery, lakes, fascinating rock formations, hills and a landscape that is bursting with life, rare plants, butterflies and dragonflies. What more do you need? Let’s explore the area, this route is only one of the many you can choose from, so ready, steady, go!

Details of the walk

Important: Maybe it goes without saying, but sunscreen and some sort of cap is highly recommended during the summer period as the trail doesn’t always go in the shadow of the trees and the sun does not mess around these days
Distance: approx. 14 km
Route: http://out.ac/dLHOx (GPX file is available)
Duration: 4,5-5 hours in a confortable walking speed

The itinerary:

We set off from the Inner Lake and right away had a slight detour as we spotted a Hungarian Grey Cattle herd (an ancient breed of domestic beef cattle indigenous to Hungary) and of course I had to get a closer a look.

The first stop of our hike was the Akasztó-domb, (Gallows hill). The name speaks for itself, this was the spot where the gallows pole was erected. Today, the hill gives a nice view of the bay below.
We got to the Akasztó-domb by walking along the Aranyház street, crossed the main road and from the parking place (with a few little wooden cabins as a farmer’ market is located here) we took the green line trail.

We followed the trodden path that led us back to the main road, which we crossed little further down to the left at the sign Ferenc Pince csárda and we kept following the green line sign straight ahead. There are marked intersections at regular intervals so no matter which hiking trail you decided to take, you won’t get lost.
As we didn’t want to miss to geyser formations,we followed the signs leading to the Aranyház (Golden House), which is one of the most well-known of the geyser formations.

After around 20 minutes from crossing the main road, we reached the geyser field area with several geyser cones, created by volcanic activity a million years ago. The cones take all kind of shapes and sizes and I’m fascinated by their cute names: Peastone cone, Hatted Cone, Tunnel Cone,Badger’s Castle (Borsóköves-kúp,Kalapo-kúp,Átjáró-kúp,Borzvár in Hungarian). The highest one, referred to as the Golden House due to the yellow moss that grows on the surface, gives a spectacular view of the peninsula.

Yellow moss on the Golden House — Golden House

Little path next to a geyser cone — Peastone Cone

From here, we followed the yellow cross sign leading to Hálóeresztő(couldn’t find a decent translation of this word, it basically means ‘let the net down’). On our way, we passed another interesting geyser cone, the Borzvár( Badger’s Castle) and after arriving to Hálóeresztő at the Half-Cut Cone, we turned right to the yellow line path, which took us to Csúcs-hegy (Peak Mountain).

Badger's Castle geyser cone — Badger’s Castle

The path led up and down, through the Szarkádi-erdő (Szarkádi forest) with tantalizing glimpses of the cool Balaton water. At one point, we reached a forest school, where we turned left on the stone road and then to the right following the marked path up to Gurbicza peak, which rewarded us with breathtaking views (literally as we had climb to 174 meters).

Glimpse of the Balaton through the branches

Just before we reached the peak of Peak Mountain ( please don’t hate me for the bad pun), we stumbled upon a cave, which according to the folklore was used by the famous outlaw, Jóska Sobri. Before you reach the cave, there’s a junction, take the trail to the left.

Sobri Jóska cave — I’m trying to picture myself as Jóska

We continued along Nyereg-hegy (Saddle Mountain), which is a narrow cliff ridge connecting the Peak mountain to the Apáti mountain.
Here, I enjoyed a Lion King moment with my new buddy Mr. Dragonfly, 10 points if you can find him in the picture.

View from the Saddle Mountain — My Lion King moment with my new friend at my right hand

Soon after, we reached Őrtorony Lookout Tower from which we enjoyed a birds eye view of the area and had a much needed rest in the cool breeze.

Then we started the final leg of our hike, crossing through the fields between the Outer and Inner Lake, finally reaching a lavender field. I did not particularly enjoy this part as at this point we were craving fresh water not just to drink but also to wash down the dirt of the road. When at last we dragged ourselves up to the village of Tihany, salvation arrived in the form of an ice cream, one of the best I had in my entire life.All in all, we had a wonderful day with scenic views and relaxing bird chirping.

Vineyard between the Outer and Inner Lake