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