At the foot of the witness hills in the Káli Basin

Itinerary

• Start from Zánka heading north, towards Tapolca.
• At the foot of Hegyestű, turn towards Monoszló; the detour to the hill can be found 650 meters from the junction. After descending from Hegyestű, you can continue in two directions: with a road bike, return to the road leading to Tapolca and turn right, while to reach Balatonhenye, follow the S tourist sign from the center of Monoszló along a well-worn agricultural road. In Balatonhenye, turn left opposite the church to reach Köveskál.
• Upon arriving at Köveskál, head towards Tapolca no matter which direction you come from, then turn right at the Szentbékkálla junction.
• Through Szentbékkálla and Mindszentkálla, the route suggests itself, then return to the road leading to Tapolca, after traveling 1.3 kilometers, sharply turn left towards Kékkút, and at the next junction follow this direction as well.
• At Kővágóörs, turn right at the junction towards Révfülöp, upon reaching the Lake Balaton shore settlement, cross the railway crossing and follow the lakeside bicycle path eastward to Zánka.

About the route in detail

From Zánka to Monoszló

Before departure from Zánka, you can learn everything about harvesting, processing, and consuming herbs at the Herb Valley Visitor and Educational Center. The building, faithfully following the local architectural features, blends into the landscape, whether looking from the street side or the educational garden showcasing more than four hundred types of plants. The center offers an interactive opportunity to learn about the herbs of the Balaton Uplands and their processing.

After expanding our knowledge of herbs, we first head towards Monoszló. On the way to the northeastern corner of the Káli Basin, we ride on a slightly ascending, wavy road – this undulation will characterize our entire journey, but we will never have to face too much elevation gain at once. On the side of Hegyestű, the vineyards, wine cellars, and presses indicate within the first kilometers that excellent wines are made in this region.

A detour to Hegyestű itself is also worth making; the short but steep climb is worth the effort. At the geological exhibition site in the abandoned basalt quarry, you can admire the basalt columns formed during cooling inside the crater of the volcano that operated about 8 million years ago, and climbing to the top of the 337-meter-high hill offers a breathtaking panorama. Among others, you can see other basalt cones surrounding the Káli Basin, Tóti Hill, and Gulács in the distance, alongside the witness hills (Badacsony, Szent György Hill, Csobánc). Upon entering Monoszló, it is worth visiting the Hungarian Provence Lavender Estate located at the eastern edge of the village, especially if you visit during the flowering season (June-July). Approaching the estate, the 5-hectare purple-covered area is visible from afar.

The Köveskál washhouse and the Szentbékkálla stone sea

From Monoszló to Balatonhenye, we can ride on a well-passable dirt road (S marked hiking trail) connecting the two villages, then continue towards Köveskál, the center of the Káli Basin. (Those who want to stay on asphalt roads the entire time should roll back from Monoszló to below Hegyestű and turn right towards Köveskál). It is worth taking a closer look at the washhouse standing in the center of Köveskál. In the past, the village women brought sorted and soap-boiled clothes and bedding here for rinsing – and of course, they thoroughly gossiped about the latest news. Washing worked according to a strict schedule; locals went to the washhouse on specific days (for example, on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in Kővágóörs), while on other days (Fridays, Sundays, religious holidays, or even on St. Lucia’s Day), washing was strictly forbidden. The counterpart of the Köveskál washhouse stands on the border of Kővágóörs, where a slaughterhouse operated until 1949, whose table was made of two stone slabs dating back to Roman times.

Between Szentbékkálla and Mindszentkálla lies one of the largest and best-preserved stone seas in the Káli Basin (the other is located on the eastern border of Kővágóörs). The stones here are hardened examples of the sand dunes of the former Pannonian Sea, shaped by the winds of later periods into spectacular, sometimes bizarre forms. It is not easy to reach the stone sea by bike, but it is definitely worth the effort. (For those who do not want to take this small detour, we recommend the more easily accessible hill ridge on the border of Kővágóörs).

After leaving Mindszentkálla, we reach the main artery of the Káli Basin (which has unfortunately become busier recently) the road between Zánka and Tapolca and turn right; after a small climb, we reach the Kékkút junction. Here we face a crossroads: those who want a longer ride can take a detour at the foot of Csobánc via Diszel towards Tapolca, or via Gyulakeszi towards Badacsony. On Sundays, it is recommended for everyone to cycle at least as far as Káptalantóti to visit the world-famous Tóti market, the Lily Garden. Warning! It is recommended to arrive with an empty stomach and a full wallet because you will definitely be tempted by a sausage, a piece of cheese, a bottle of syrup, or a jar of jam – not to mention the wild boar pâté.

In Salföld, you can also make friends with animals

Next to Káptalantóti, Salföld invites for a detour: the Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate established the Salföld Estate in the outskirts of the village in 1997, where they showcase the life of a working farm and native Hungarian domestic animal breeds: Racka sheep, Mangalica pigs, buffalo, grey cattle, poultry, shepherd dogs such as puli, pumi, and mudi, and also horses. In the village, Pajta Gallery serves as a meeting place, restaurant, and accommodation all in one. It is worth stopping for a refreshment or even lunch. The service is friendly, but do not expect a frantic pace – however, grilled goat cheese made from local ingredients or excellent lecsó dishes are worth the wait. At the edge of the village, the ruins of the Pauline monastery or the quarry lake at Kisörspuszta also deserve a small detour.

In Kékkút, it is worth admiring the beautifully renovated peasant houses, then stopping at the Theodora spring at the eastern end of the village to fill your bottles with Kékkút spring water. You can expect serious queues in summer, but this should not spoil your mood; it is worth resting a bit in the shade of the trees surrounding the spring. At the western border of Kővágóörs, it is worth casting a glance at the well-preserved washhouse similar to the one in Köveskál, while at the other end of the village, the bizarre sculpture group called the Human Comedy and the stone sea by Lake Kornyi deserve attention.

The depressions in the stones of the stone sea recall the times when the village got its name: mainly milling stones, cellar vaults, and bastion building stones were quarried and "cut" from the stone next to the village. Leaving Kővágóörs southwards (towards Lake Balaton), you have to overcome a short climb, so you can then enjoy the lake view while riding down all the way to the pier, crossing road 71 and the northern railway line, from where all you have to do is follow the Balaton bike path towards Zánka.