Káptalantóti – Szentbékkálla (OKT 15th day hike)

Among the small villages of the Balaton Uplands, nearly all have developed unique characteristics that are intertwined with their names. For Káptalantóti, this is the Liliomkert market, which has been operating since 2007 and turns the northeastern edge of the village into a colorful hustle every Sunday. However, the hike begins from the village center, at the stamp station on the latticed window of the grocery store painted yellow. For this, you need to walk back about a hundred meters if you arrive by bus, but meanwhile, let us get acquainted with the local sights. For example, there is a small memorial park featuring a World War monument and a bust of Petőfi, but most striking is the view of the Tóti Hill visible from the street, standing out in the distance. This almost perfectly conical witness hill got its name from the settlement of Tóti at its foot – interestingly, this name does not refer to Slovak ethnicity but derives from a smaller South Slavic ethnic group. In the 13th century, the settlement became property of the chapter of Győr, which explains the prefix still used today.

The small square from which we start might encourage hikers to stay a bit longer if the retro design elements decorated buffet is open: here you can stock up for the upcoming day as there won't be opportunities along the way.

We turn onto the road leading north from the village and head toward one of our main sights, Csobánc. If uncertain whether we are heading the right way, the street sign reading Csobánc confirms the direction. Soon, there is no need to look for markers or signs because before us rises the flat-topped witness hill towering significantly above the surrounding plain.

Among the well-known witness hills of the Tapolca Basin, Csobánc is something of a "jolly joker." It is somewhat lower than its bigger siblings, Badacsony and Szent György Hill; easier to climb than Gulács, and unlike Tóti Hill, with which it rivals in views, it has castle ruins, and during suitable weather, paragliders perform stunts quite close by. Of course, the National Blue Trail also passes here, with its stamp station located at the hilltop – but let’s not rush ahead.

The distinctive Csobánc belongs to the series of flat-topped witness hills; its formation process was similar to other such hills. About 7 million years ago, volcanic activity began shaping the landscape through massive explosions over millions of years. Basalt lava erupted, cooled, and solidified around the vents, covering the underlying layers like a blanket. After volcanic activity waned, the less resistant surface around the basalt cap eroded, leaving basalt caps rising prominently above the surroundings.

We have just enough time to ponder these few million years as we approach Csobánc on a straight road. At the end of the road, next to a stone cross, we turn right onto the Gyulakeszi–Köveskál road, fortunately only for 250 meters, then turn left toward the hill. From here, we gradually ascend; a bit of preparation is good since within 3 kilometers we climb more than 200 meters.

We walk among grazing horses, wine presses, and vineyards at the base of the hill, occasionally catching views of the surrounding hills. Soon we reach the forest, where we pass by the Castle Well with its tiled roof and solar panels (not operational in autumn 2025). From here, steeper and looser sections are expected before reaching the southern edge of the hill plateau. Even from our first lookout, there is a spectacular panorama toward Lake Balaton, and we can see the area from which we came – framed by Tóti Hill, Gulács, and Badacsony.

Crossing to the northern side, along the way the quarried witness hill, Haláp, also appears from narrower viewpoints, with Somló visible behind it. We follow the beaten trail until the remains of the castle walls appear.

From the plateau edge, the entire Tapolca Basin spreads out: settlements, tree lines, forest patches, and agricultural fields form a colorful mosaic, while Tóti Hill, Gulács, Badacsony, the Vár Hill of Szigliget, and Szent György Hill rise like bastions above the landscape. Behind the blue stripe of Lake Balaton on the southern shore, the two peaks of Fonyód stand out, while to the west, the long back of the Keszthely Hills closes the horizon.

The excellent summit location has been exploited by settling peoples since prehistoric times, as it offered wide surveillance of the surroundings. Perhaps this explains why the castle built in the 13th century was later never taken by either the Turks or the imperial troops during the Rákóczi War of Independence.

Today, apart from hikers, paragliders most often conquer the hilltop. While sightseeing, don’t forget to stamp, which can be done near the flagpole holding the Hungarian flag, not far from the only bench-table set.

Csobánc – Szentbékkálla

We continue our route, winding down the northern side of the hill; fortunately, the previously admired panorama accompanies us for a while longer. Entering the forest, we make a short detour to visit the Rossztemplom (to the left), the ruins of the 13th-century church of the former vineyard working village, Csobáncszög. The village became depopulated during the Turkish era and was not resettled due to water scarcity afterward.

Soon, we exit onto the road leading to Diszel, and then continue across the deep path leading through Hajagos Hill. Gradually ascending, we reach a junction where traces of the former cable railway are still visible: stones extracted from the nearby quarry were transported on this line to Tapolca. Several witness hills of the Balaton Uplands suffered due to intensive basalt mining in the first half of the 20th century, but most quarries were closed for nature conservation reasons in the 1960s. However, the Hajagos quarry, opened in the 1920s, operated until the 1980s. (The huge abandoned quarry is on the right.)

We walk through sometimes pleasantly shaded forest sections marked with the K sign. We bypass the marshy Hottó-kút stream and then reach a lovely meadow. The long forest path is replaced by a spacious clearing adorned in the background by the small but nearly perfect cone of Hegyesd.

Turning sharply right, we now head toward Szentbékkálla. We walk alongside atmospheric pastures and grazing cattle for a long distance, but attention is required because when reaching the wooded meadow, only a thin stick marker indicates a left turn. Among sunlit vineyards, we arrive at our second major sight, the Szentbékkállai Stone Sea, indicated by the Balaton Uplands National Park sign labeled "Strictly Protected Natural Area."

The sea of huge scattered rocks spreads out before us. The sediment deposited on the shoreline of the ancient Pannon Lake consolidated over time by silicic solutions rising from below, solidifying into hard rock. Wind, precipitation, and temperature changes eroded the softer layers surrounding the hard blocks, fracturing the formerly continuous rock mass into variously shaped stones.

The most famous among them has a name: Kelemen-kő or the rocking stone, whose upper block touches the lower on a very small area so that even the weight of a person can move it. Feel free to try it!

At the stone sea, it's worth taking some time away from the Blue Trail route to explore the differently shaped and sized rocks and delve into their formation story – the information boards along the nature trail help with this.

It's just a few minutes’ walk from here to Szentbékkálla, but before the Calvary, we make a small detour to the Velétei Palace Ruins. After the conquest, Szentbékkálla was the settlement area of the Kál clan (from which the name Káli Basin originates), later inhabited for a long period by servants of the royal court. However, in the 14th century, the king exchanged several villages including Szentbékkálla for Tátika Castle with the Bishop of Veszprém, whose residence this manor probably was.

We circle the ruins and enter the settlement, where the stamp station can be found on the main street, opposite the store building, near the information board.