Pilis – Yelloways

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.

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.

Tag: Pilis

Spartacus trail, an iconic path at the Danube bend

Details of the walk

Itinerary

Vasas-precipice where the mountain swallows you up

Details of the walk:

Itinerary