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.

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