Ölbő-Alsószeleste station – Sárvár (OKT Day 4 tour)

We start the section from Ölbő-Alsószeleste railway station. The stamp of the tour can be found on the Blue Trail sign behind the station building. After stamping, we walk for a while parallel to the tracks, along cultivated fields to the south. After a slight bend, we arrive at a shrubby area, then following a row of horse chestnut trees, we enter the Lőrinci forest where we proceed along straight clearings. Initially, the landscape is characterized by mixed forests, later by dense pine stands, whose atmosphere is greatly influenced by the constant rumble of traffic on the nearby M86 road.

Turning left, we take a gravel forestry road which leads monotonously straight south. This is already the Ölbői-Nagy forest, where a barracks used to be located. Today, only the brick pillars of the entrance gate remind us of the military facility demolished after the regime change.

The monotony of the long straight is broken by crossing busy road 88, but afterwards we continue evenly through the VÁTI forest towards Bögöt. As we approach the settlement, the vegetation around thins out, finally reaching a paved road leading to the village, lined with rows of trees bordering arable fields. The signs lead us to Deák Ferenc street in the village, but before continuing the tour, we need to make a detour to the Blue Trail stamp at the blue stamp mark.

In Bögöt there are two available stamps. One stamp can be found next to the church built in 1738 (rebuilt in 1768) and consecrated to Saint Francis of Assisi, at the Coop grocery store, accessible during opening hours. The other stamp is continuously available on the wall of the Mayor's Office building in a lockable wooden box.

Bögöt – Csényeújmajor

After stamping, we return to the K marking, then continue south among the gated entrances of Deák Ferenc street. After a few minutes' walk, we leave Bögöt, which gives the impression of a sleepy small village. Next, we move through a shrub corridor between cultivated fields until at the border of Porpác we turn under foliage onto the asphalt road between Bögöt and Csénye, which shortly after crosses the railway lines first leading to Csorna, then a few meters later the main line between Székesfehérvár and Szombathely. Between the two railway lines stands a hunting castle providing accommodation along the way.

The Blue Trail and the asphalt road also head to Csénye, but while the main road bypasses the Tilos forest, the K marks use clearings and sharp bends to cut through it. Eventually, we arrive on asphalt in the settlement and pass by the Mária chapel – a small sanctuary that serves as a special lowland Calvary starting point. The K marking continues on Vasút street, thus it does not divert to the folk stations lined along Deák Ferenc street. Shortly afterwards, we reach Csénye's church consecrated to Saint John Nepomuk. In the orderly small settlement center, a shop and pub offer refreshment options.

We leave Csénye on asphalt and follow the access road for some time towards Sárvár. Walking under trees lining the road, arable fields and forest patches fill the view, with wind turbines turning in the distance and some buildings of Sárvár’s industrial area. Eventually, we reach the road from Sárvár to Ikervár, where we turn right and after a minute’s walk see the ornate chapel of Csényeújmajor by the roadside, built by the wife of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. Here, attached to the chapel railings, we find the stamp.

Csényeújmajor – Sárvár

Csényeújmajor has seen better days: both the Habsburg–Wittelsbach castle and the farmstead are in ruins. A small colorful curiosity: the building complex’s birthplace, Dora Markus, has a square named after her in Ravenna, because the Nobel Prize-winning Italian poet Eugenio Montale wrote a poem about her after they met.

The K marking bypasses the former farmstead on the highway for some time, then before the bridge over the Gyöngyös stream turns left onto the dam. We travel on this open, sunny embankment towards Sárvár for nearly three kilometers, while we can already see the final destination of our section in the distance.

At the sluice gates on the city boundary, we leave the dam and continue on the bike path to reach the second largest settlement of Vas county. The uniqueness of the Sárvár bike path is most apparent in the evening when the fluorescent pebbles mixed into the asphalt start to glow.

We reach the residential area of Sárvár next to Bagoly meadow, home to many sights. Walking along Esze Tamás street and then after a roundabout on Nadásdy Ferenc street through a family house neighborhood, we head towards the city center. After about ten minutes, we find ourselves in a genuine small-town atmosphere and soon the splendid view of the Nádasdy castle appears.

The castle, home to the Hussar collection, the Nádasdy museum, and Sárvár’s cultural center, is a must-see attraction along with its protected surrounding park. Built of red bricks, characterized by a distinctive arched bridge and gate tower, it is registered as a national heritage and is one of the best-preserved castles in the country. Its walls were renovated from Renaissance to Baroque style by the Nádasdy family; the castle courtyard is surrounded by Renaissance arcades, and the ornamental hall is considered one of the most impressive interiors of domestic Baroque architecture.

The K marking passes under the enormous plane trees of the castle park to the Alkotmány street housing estate, from where the other city landmark, the picturesque Csónakázó lake, is just a few steps away. We half-circle the park with resting spots, small bridges, and a running track, where the Blue Trail stamp can be found on the side of a covered bench by the lake shore. After stamping, the marking leads back through the park onto the city’s main street (Rákóczi Ferenc street), which we eventually reach at Markusovszky street.

Sárvár is a perfect section endpoint also because of its public transport options, and there is a wide selection of accommodation and dining places.