Here We Go Again! Best of Kőszeg Mountains

After more than 2 months of silence I’m back again, therefore you can read a brand new post on http://hikinginhungary.blogspot.hu/. I have skipped writing for several reasons –sorry for that– but I start it again now.  The summer holiday was long, but not long enough to let me do everything I wanted to do. Although, I am very enthusiastic about hiking, I had to have a break lately, which is finally over! Let me tell you more about the adventures I had yesterday. 

Jézus Szíve Church (1892)

When I was a little schoolboy, I was taken to an excursion with my peers to Kőszeg Mountains. This is a mountainous region in West Hungary, near the Austrian border. It is famous for its highest point Írott-kő (883m, Ger: Geschriebenstein) [literally means written stone in Hungarian] where a stone built lookout tower is located. From this point, which is the highest of the Transdanubian region, even Lake Balaton is visible if the weather is clear.

Óház-tető, a lookout tower built on the ruins of a medieval fortification (1248)

I had free time and motivation on Saturday, so I travelled from Sopron to Kőszeg by train to start this little adventure. (Trains go to Kőszeg from Szombathely hourly – click here for the actual schedule)! I couldn’t recall too much of my elementary school memories so I decided to look for a new trail up to Írott-kő. This area is full of marked hiking trails and the place I wanted to visit is the western starting point of Országos Kéktúra (National Blue Trail). All in all, it is absolutely ideal for shorter or longer hikes as well. I planned to go this way, following thesign. 

(Distances from the start are marked in brackets). 

Kőszeg railway station — Kálvária (3.3km) — Hét-forrás (6.7km) — Óház tető (7.8km) — Vörös kereszt (9.1km) — Stájerházak (11.8km) — Hörmann-forrás (13.7km) — Írott-kő (16km)

When I arrived in the town, I was excited and worrying about the weather. Unfortunately, it was raining through my journey to Kőszeg and it stopped only for some minutes while I was hiking. Therefore, I went only until Vörös kereszt, where I stopped and turned back. Bad luck, isn’t it? However, this trail it probably the best way up to Írott-kő, showing you the best of the region. 

It is called Red Cross, because there is a road leading to Rőtfalva [rőt means red] from here. 

Start the hike from the railway station and walk into downtown. Visit Kőszeg two times if you can: one for sightseeing (there are beautiful churches and streets, what’s more there is a castle there) and another for hiking. You can start following the blue sign from Jurisics Square. First you will arrive at the Calvary (375m) where you can stop for taking some photos of the landscape.

After another ~3 kilometres of walk you will reach Hét-forrás (424m, seven springs) which is a beautiful place known since the 14th century, visited by many hikers from year to year.

Hétforrás is named after the seven conqueror leaders of the ancient Hungarian tribes: Álmos, Előd, Ond, Kond, Tas, Huba, Töhötöm 

After refreshing yourself with cold, clear spring-water, you can continue your hike to Óház-tető (607m) where a lookout tower, similar to the one on Írott-kő, is located. Climbing up to this point is rather difficult, so you will probably have some rest after arriving. Look for the simple blue sign here also, because this is a conjunction of several routes (the green one and the blue cross also leads to here) and you can easily pick the wrong one. Walk forth until you reach Vörös kereszt (Red Cross). I stopped here because it started to rain heavily and I was 10 kilometres away from Kőszeg, not having completely waterproof equipment. (I have a post about proper gear, click here to read that)! 

However, what I saw was beautiful and the rainy weather couldn’t kill my enthusiasm. Írott-kő, I’m coming next time, maybe on the next weekend! 

Just a photo of this small, colourful insect

Photo Compilation

Although I’m still amazed by the things I saw and experienced at Kékestető, I started to check out the photos I shot during my previous hikes. I have truckloads of them; however, I don’t want to overwhelm my blog with visuals. I like these photos and by watching them I relive some parts of being outdoors.  Therefore, I created a photo compilation, which I would like to show you in this post. Let me mention that I don’t have too much to do with professional photography, and I don’t have expensive photo equipment (I use a compact digital camera: Canon A3300IS)! But still, I’m enthusiastic about this. Take a look at the pictures below. If you would like to see more, you’ll find some in the slideshow located at the sidebar of the blog. Have fun!      

Bakony

Bakony

Sopron-Mountains

Buda-Hills

Mátra

Mátra

Mátra

Mátra

A Dream Came True: Kékestető

In general, going to Kékestető is a point of honor for Hungarian hikers. Being the highest point of Hungary (1014m), this peak is frequently visited by people in every season. There are two ski-runs, so Kékestető is never dead and empty. It is a paradise for all of those who want to be in the outdoors. 

That's me and the famous rock

Kékestető is located in Mátra, which is a mountain range in northern Hungary, lying in Heves and Nógrád County.  For those hikers who want to climb the peak from the very foot of the mountain, Mátrafüred is an absolutely ideal place to start. From Budapest, buses go there roughly every hour, but there is a more adventurous way to approach Mátrafüred. (For a current bus schedule click on the relevant part of the sidebar in the blog)! There is a narrow-gage railway line between Gyöngyös and Mátrafüred, so if you are bored with the regular means of transport, try this! It is cheap and fun; find the train schedule and list of fares here. Students can enjoy the 50% fare discount, (595HUF) however a full fare ticket is not too costly, either (995HUF).  

After the bumpy trip on the old carriages, you arrive to Mátrafüred which is a calm village, but a really great starting point. You can even rent a Segway, close to the railway station at this shop. Click here for the English website! 

From Mátrafüred, several safe hiking trails lead to the top. Each sign has been repainted recently, so following a trail you selected before is quite easy. The terrain is demanding: rocks are everywhere, and you have to cross numerous creeks. It was not similar to the other hikes I did before in Hungary. In addition, the weather was so hot on the day of the hike I almost melted. Leave your tough hiking trousers and waterproof gaiters at home; it is time to wear shorts and sprinkle truckloads of bug spray on your body. Annoying small insects are everywhere, some of them want your blood, so be careful.

There are more than four trails leading directly up to the top, but I wanted to lengthen the hike by looking for a more complex way. I visited Vályus-kút, which is a stream close to a shelter house and a resting-place. Négyeshatár kilátóhely (801m) was another checkpoint and I also passed Disznó-kút (highest lying spring in Hungary – 960m) on the way up. This was my way:

Mátrafüred - PZ/Z -Vályus-kút - Z+ - Négyeshatár kilátóhely (801m) - P/PO - Disznó-kút (960m) - PZ - Kékestető - K+ - Remete-barlang - K+ - Mátrafüred

When I arrived at the top, I was a bit disappointed, because I expected a new vista and I got nothing. It was only a stupid first impression, though, because the broadcasting tower, located on the top, is open for tourists and it is worth buying a ticket and climbing up. (Real hikers don’t use the elevator, but the stairs!!!) In clear weather the landscape is beautiful and you can feel how special it is to be up there… Entrance fee is 480HUF for adults; there is 50% discount, but unfortunately for children under 14. 

The Tower

Panorama - click for original size!

The way down is also amazing. I went on K+, which goes through fields, leads to a small cave, (Remete-barlang) and the ruins of Benevár. If you arrive back to Mátrafüred, visit the local pub called Mátrai Betyár Söröző for a cold draught beer and think of the beautiful hike you have just done. Kékestető requires more hiking experience and endurance, but if you really want to reach the top do not hesitate. Take a look at the bus schedule, take a day off, put on your boots and go! 

Look-Out Towers of Sopron-Mountains

I really enjoy watching spectacular panoramas. It is so relaxing and reloads you after the long way to a peak. I have already written about Sopron-Forest Park, but there is always something new to write about. This area is the land of mild downhills and silent valleys. There are 7 lakes, 20 creeks, and more than 40 streams waiting for hikers to explore them. 

I started this with my love to panoramas and landscapes, so let us focus on look-out towers of Sopron-Mountains. 6 of them are located in this region, giving the excellent opportunity to look around from the top of the hills and see the surrounding landscape. In this post I would like to write about 3 must-see look-out spots. Admission to all of them is free!  

Sörházdombi look-out tower: 

Sörházdomb is a 300m high range of Sopron-Mountains. After WWII, the old tower was demolished at this place, but in 2006 the local government got a new one built made of wood. This is the youngest look-out tower in the region. It is located close to the city; therefore, it is an ideal destination of afternoon walks or short hikes. You can approach it by following the “green triangle” sign. 

Várhely look-out tower: 

This is one of the oldest towers in Sopron-Forest Park, located at the early Iron Age (750-400 BC.) hill fort, hidden in the deep woods. (For more details, see my post about Cyclamen-educational path!) Start your journey there from Kertváros-Felső bus stop (bus number 3 or 10 terminates there) and follow the cyclamen or the “yellow triangle” sign. From this spot the following are visible: 

• Sopron, Sopron-Bánfalva, Bécsi-hill, Fertő/Neusiedl

• The peaks of Sopron- and Rozália-Mountains 

• Forchtenstein Castle and Schneeberg (Austria)

Károly look-out tower: 

This is the most popular look-out tower near Sopron, named after Károly Romwalter, who was a typographer and an enthusiastic hiker. In 1876 he got a wooden tower built. This was demolished and rebuilt several times, but since 1936 a 23m high tower, built of stone, stands at the top of Károly-hill. It is frequently visited, so one can approach it by following several trails and even a tarmac road leads there. 

Visit these places for engaging panorama and experience how small we are from a different perspective!

Random Hike

I’ve already written about the region called Pilis, but I’ve been there several times, so I can share more of my experiences with you about it. It is absolutely ideal for beginners and advanced hikers as well. 

Once I decided to go for a short hike at Pilis Mountains and a friend of mine joined me. He lives in Piliscsaba, so we agreed to make this town the starting point of our hike. We met at the railway station at about 9 AM, but didn’t have a concrete destination or idea; we just wanted to be out in the nature. Random enough, right? 

Careful planning is great but not everything. Sometimes, spontaneity makes a bigger and more joyful experience. I always take a map with me if I go outdoors. We took a quick look at it with my friend and after some consideration we decided to go to Nagy-Kopasz, (that’s simply a peak of a nearby hill) Eszperantó-forrás, (a calm resting place with a stream) and Leány/Legény-barlang (two small, but amazing caves, near Klastrompuszta).  See the map below for the details and relevant trails.

We climbed Nagy-Kopasz (447m) first, which was not tiring at all, but the panorama from the peak was great. It’s also an ideal place for one-night camping. We had a little rest there and continued our hike to Piliscsév. We were walking on marked hiking trails; thank God, we didn’t get lost! Piliscsév is calm, but rather boring village, we didn’t spend too much time there. The next station was Eszperantó-forrás. Personally, I like streams because fresh spring water always quenches my thirst. However, the stream was wizened. Bad luck… Anyway, we got to know that going there didn’t make too much sense. The last stop was at the two caves, but before arriving there we went through Klastrompuszta, which was even more silent than Piliscsév. There are ruins of a monastery built by The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit which is a Hungarian founded religious order. Finally, we arrived to the caves. In Hungary, there aren’t too many huge caves, but smaller ones. According to legends, some monks were living in these caves, hiding in the woods. Leány- and Legény-barlang are spectacular and these are good shelters, so if you are about to encounter a storm and you are hiking there, you should definitely look for these!  

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a digital camera back then, so I can’t include good photos. (I used my friend’s smartphone to take some photos, I am not satisfied with them)…  

Panorama from Nagy-Kopasz

My Gear

When I started hiking, I didn’t set a high value on my equipment. I just put on old leather boots or sneakers and went outdoors. Once, I climbed Hochlantsch (Austria, 1721m) wearing shorts and trainers and surprisingly my socks didn’t get wet, but I caught a cold and so on… This story made me realize that gear is very important and there are situations when you can’t dispense with proper clothing or tools.

Footwear: 

When buying new hiking boots, make sure you select a waterproof one! If your boots get soaked, the remaining part of your hike can be terrible. Consequently, wearing improper footwear doesn’t allow you to enjoy your hike, since you always need to pay attention to each and every of your steps. Hiking is about experiencing nature around you. Why would you spoil this by having low-quality shoes? 

Currently, I wear Quechua Forclaz 600 when I’m hiking. (Click on the link for technical details and excellent photos of the boot). It’s absolutely waterproof, comfortable, made of high-quality materials, and ideal for all-day hikes. 

Gaiters: 

At first I didn’t know why to wear these. The reason is simple: they protect your shin from wetness, mud, and sharp underwood. Good gaiters make hiking comfortable even in knee-high snow or on extremely muddy trails. What is more, it prevents your trousers from getting dirty and soaked. I possess a Tatonka Gaiter 420 HD

Without gaiters you'll be this dirty!

Raincoat: 

You can never trust weather forecast; therefore, always take a reliable raincoat with you. No doubt, a well-ventilated rain jacket is essential. Airing is important: a good mackintosh protects you from rain, but lets your sweat out, so you won’t be streaming with perspiration. Unfortunately, I don’t have a really good one yet, but I plan to buy one soon. 

I think these are the most important parts of one’s gear when going to one day hikes. Of course, you can have special trousers, socks, and rucksack but these are not essential. Personally, I use old military training trousers and a worn-out backpack. I’ve never encountered problems with these, they are quite okay.  Spring has arrived!!! I hope I can write a hike report to you next week. Stay tuned! 

Before You Go...

Because of all the tasks I need to do, I can’t go for a hike this weekend. What’s more, the weather is still gloomy and rainy; floods and inland inundation would make hiking unpalatable. Some roads are covered with snow and ice and water level of rivers is still rising because of last week’s rainfalls. I am also feeling under the weather a bit. Is this something worth complaining about? Certainly not! 

If you can’t go for a hike, do some planning for the next one! That’s what I was doing when I decided to write this post. I have never been to Kékestető, the highest peak of Hungary (1014m), and I really eager to visit this place. After visiting Bakony I would rather hike in Mátra, Kékestető belongs to this mountain range. As I was looking for hiking trails I found some handy websites which are in English, so you can read them and make your planning much easier.

Map of Kékestető

Click here for information about sights, activities, and accommodation in Mátra!

Another place you may want to visit is Rám-szakadék. It is similar to Holdvilág-trench, but this gorge is longer, deeper, and more spectacular. Travel to Dömös and start the hike to Rám-szakadék there. Don’t try to go through it when the weather is rainy or it is snowing. Always follow the path there and don’t try to climb out of the ravine because it’s life-threatening. Only do the hike from Dömös up to Dobogókő and not the opposite way. (Otherwise, “traffic jams” will occur in the gorge).

Just one more place to mention: Balaton Uplands (Hun: Balaton Felvidék). Spectacular!!! I’ve been there last fall, but the weather was so foggy that I can’t even make a satisfying photo…   

If I have the time and the weather is better than now, I will definitely visit these places and shoot photos near Lake Balaton again.

Others About Cyclamen

I was reading the statistics page of my blog when I saw that someone found my corner of the web by searching for the term „cyclamen trails”. I knew that my post about the hike near Sopron was the most popular so far, but quite frankly I was a bit surprised. I wanted to see what the first hit for the same search was, so I typed these words into Google and found this.

Yeah, I know it’s a pretty short summary of the hike; however, it’s good to see that visiting this educational path is recommended by not only me but others as well. I just simply wanted to share this website with you, so you can compare my post about Cyclamen path to the external summary. Which one makes you more motivated to visit the woods near Sopron? 

What happened in Bakony?

-3°C, chilly wind, overcast sky, muddy roads, huge meadows, and the unique scent of growing wood garlic. It’s high time I shared my experiences about Bakony with you!

In my previous post I was complaining about bad weather conditions and the lack of hiking companions. To tell you the truth I was thoughtless. I made it on Saturday and two of my friends joined me. Success!

Let’s start from the beginning. I always write the “how to get there” part in my posts; however, I don’t give you instructions about where to find Hungarian bus or railway schedule. Problem solved! In the sidebar of the blog (under the slideshow) you can find both of them. Click on the links; the websites are in English.  

This time, we took a bus to Herend, but it was crowded and slow. If you take my advice, you would rather go by train. Taking a bus was also disadvantageous, because the first trail we went on with the guys started from the railway station, so we had to cross the village, looking for the proper way. But that’s a feature of hiking, right?

Contrast

Bakony is a quite big mountainous region in Hungary, so you can hike in it for days. We didn’t have that much time, so we did a 26km hike. We set off from Herend and arrived to Városlőd via Csehbánya (Ger: Böhmischhütten) which is a small village with less than 300 inhabitants. It was like a ghost town; silent, motionless. The weather was chilly, but I didn’t expect any snow. Unfortunately there were snowy trails and areas covered by blanket of snow. Nature was still asleep. (Spring, where are you?)

What's your impression?

We were halfway on the trail when we ended up on a deforestation area where workers left only some slender trees. This big open space seemed strange to me, but there was something beautiful in it.

Another spectacular part was the valley of Torna-creek. We had to cross riffles several times and this made the hike more exciting and demanding, since the valley was the last part of the hike. Additional info: it is easy to get lost in this hike… Some hiking signs are missing because of the recent deforestation. Bakony is beautiful, but it could have been more colorful when we visited it. 

Torna-creek

I am really looking forward to spring, maybe it brings less rain and more sunshine.

Visiting Bakony this Weekend

Bakony, located in Veszprém county, is a mountainous region and the largest part of Transdanubian Mountains. Although, it’s raining cats and dogs right now, the hope dies last, you know… I hope I can make it Saturday. I’ve found a 25 km long trail; the elevation is 450 m. I’ll approach the start from Budapest and set off from Herend railway station at about 9 AM. The destination is Városlőd. If you would like to join, contact me. Originally, I have two companions but presumably, they will back off. (I understand their reasons, not everyone is a fanatic)...  Stay tuned! 

This would be the trail

Short Hike Near Sopron

This weekend in Hungary is longer than usual; Friday, March 15 is our national holiday, (no school or work) so I decided to travel back to my beautiful hometown from the hectic Budapest. It should be spring yet; however, the weather conditions don’t show this. As BBC wrote online, Hungarian army „uses tanks to reach snowbound motorists”. It proves that the situation in some areas is pretty tough. I travelled by train on Thursday and managed to arrive only a bit more than one hour late. I was lucky, right? 

Today, the weather is beautiful, though. -Few clouds, blue sky, and warm sunshine- Therefore, I went along a trail which caught my attention years before. It is the Cyclamen-educational path. This hike is absolutely an easy-peasy one. It is self-guiding and contains 12 major and several minor explanatory notices. You just simply can’t get lost. I strongly recommend this one for beginner hikers and for those who spend only some days in Sopron and their agenda is very strict.  (Yeah, the city has pretty much things to show you – decide in advance, what you would like to do/see). 

Sign of the trail

Let’s see what this hike offers to us! Since it is an educational path, you can find explanatory notices near the trail, informing you about the type of soil, flora, and fauna of the Sopron-Forest Park. Here are some species of the fauna you may see, while visiting this area: (Rana temporaria) European Common Frog; (Dendrocopos major) Great Spotted Woodpecker; (Turdus philomelos) Song Thrush; (Sitta europaea) Eurasian Nuthatch; (Lucanus cervus) Stag beetle. The flora is also rich in species: (Larix decidua) European Larch, (Salix caprea) Goat Willow, (Quercus petraea) Sessile Oak, and of course the (Cyclamen purpurascens) Purple Cyclamen which is the eponym plant of this trail. 

The road lies ahead

The length is 8,600 m. You can go along this path at a comfortable pace (~3 hours). Both the start (Hotel Lővér) and the end (Kertváros - Bánfalva) of the route is located close to a bus stop, so you can easily approach the Cyclamen-trail and go downtown after finishing the hike. Take bus number 1 or 2 to reach the start and bus number 3 or 10 at the end of the trip. (A single ticket costs 390HUF in Sopron) The terrain is viable but some parts of it tend to be sludgy, especially in this part of the year. Although it is an easy hike, wear stable, waterproof boots.

Map

Not only the wildlife and the flora are spectacular in this region, but you can find an amazing lookout turret close to the end of the hike. It is built upon one of the highest points of Sopron-Mountains (482m). You can have a longer rest there and it is absolutely worth climbing up. The place itself is called Várhely (Burgstall), because in the Early Iron Age (Hallstatt Period 750-400 BC.) there stood a hill fort built by Celtic tribes, fortified with ramparts. These ramparts are still visible, plus you can see several ancient tumuli. If you are both a history and hiking fan, then you will enjoy this part the most (the explanatory notices will tell you more about the systematic excavations and archeological processes).

A Celtic tumulus covered by snow

One of my favourite spots...

Okay, let’s deal with the turret. The panorama from the tower can be breathtaking if the weather is clear. You can see Sopron and the Fertő-lake behind the city. The silhouette of beautiful Schneeberg Mountain is also visible. 

Fluffy clouds - spectacular panorama

All in all, this is a pleasant hike which makes you familiar with the Sopron-Forest Park. Don’t miss it if you are looking for a good hiking experience! 

24 km at Pilis Mountains

6 AM, my alarm goes off. It’s time to wake up, then have some bits of breakfast, check my equipment again, and go to Batthyány tér where my adventure for this weekend starts. Let’s roll.

In spite of the bad, foggy weather, I went outdoors again. (Who would sit in a dark dormitory room, writing assignments all day?) Let me mention that March 15 is coming; that day is one of Hungary’s three national holidays. In memory of the heroes of the 1848-49 Hungarian revolution, Pomáz based Scout troop 937 organized a hike at Pilis Mountains to pay a tribute to this historic event. There were three distances: 12/24/48 km. I decided to enter for the 24 km. There was an opportunity for preliminary application which was a pleasant surprise for me. 

The start was located at Szentendre, close to the final station of suburban railway H5. This spot is so easy to approach, because at weekends trains depart from Batthyány square every 20 minutes. It takes ~40 minutes to get there and the journey is not boring because you can see some sights of Aquincum, a part of Budapest established by the Romans. After arriving there, I saw a long queue; hikers were preparing themselves for the big challenge. The entrance fee was 700HUF, but those who applied beforehand only had to pay 500HUF. At the start I got my itinerary. It was nicely created: there was a perspicuous map in it and the most important details about the hike (time limit, distance and elevation from a checkpoint to another).  

To the memory of Hun. revolution

The first track, leading to Kő-hegy (checkpoint 1) was 5,5 km long. It is not necessary to write too much about it. The weather was still damp and the light conditions were not good enough to take proper photos. I just finished this part quickly. In the checkpoint, I was given some chocolate and a signet to my itinerary. 

Checkpoint 1

During the way to Lajos-forrás, (that’s a spring, visited by local people often) where the second checkpoint was located, every step was a torment. The trails were so muddy that my boots almost stuck in the dirt. Anyway, the fresh spring water recompensed me. 

Refreshing spring-water

The hike was simple so far. Participants only had to follow one trail (simply the yellow). After the third checkpoint, things became more complicated.  There were sections where we had to look for multiple hiking signals and deforestation made barriers through the road. I rarely see heap of logs this high. 

Huge Logs

No doubt the most spectacular part of the whole hike was the Holdvilág árok. It is a spectacular trench deepened by the huge amount of plunging storm-water. It is definitely worth visiting! You can go through the ditch safely, because there are ladders, staircases, and ropes installed on the surface of rocks. A small brook runs through the trench, but be careful after rainy days, because it may swell to a hard
flowing river! 

Climb up!

The last track was ordinary; however, Holdvilág árok was so memorable that I was thinking of it even the way home. There is one extra thing to mention at the end, though. At the finish we were not given only the regular certificate of merit and the unique badge of the event, but some bread and dripping with red onion and mixed pickles. Tea and other beverages were also served, so participants had the opportunity to get to know each other better and recharge their batteries after 24 km of walking.

Hungry hiker's dream...

All in all, the hike was well organized; the route was exciting, demanding, and spectacular. Especially Holdvilág árok [this means “Moonlight trench”] amazed me. Catering was also included. Not bad for 700/500HUF, right? Thank you scouts of Pomáz! We’ll meet next year again, I guess.

Calm pond in the woods