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!