Family-friendly bike path into the heart of Gerecse

Itinerary:

• From Bicske lower railway station we head towards the town on Prohászka Ottokár street, then soon turn right onto Bogya Károly street.
• Upon reaching Kanizsai street we turn right again and cycle out to the nearby Main Road 1.
• Crossing the main road, we join the cycle path coming from Etyek, on which we turn left towards Csabdi.
• The cycle path goes along farm roads first past the Bicske fishing lake, then shifting onto the road between two lakes, past the Csabdi fishpond.
• Arriving in the beautiful, charming Csabdi, the road turns right and crosses the Szent László creek. Turning left onto Petőfi Sándor street we reach Béke and later Ady Endre streets leading out of the village.
• From Csabdi towards Vasztély, the cycle path follows a secondary road, where the beauty of this unknown part of Gerecse is revealed.
• Before Vasztély, well-marked, the cycle path turns left onto the former Bicskei road made a real cycling joy by concreting the dirt road.
• Passing former farms and picturesque hills, touching on a nice cycling rest area, we arrive at the Tarján fishpond, then with the scenic view of the Nagy-Gerecse block, we reach Tarján.

Detailed description of the route:

The unknown eastern side of Gerecse

The Gerecse, located between the Tatai trench and the Danube valley, is a distinctive, fragmented block mountain. However, the individual blocks are small in size, so the karst formations are smaller compared to those of other mountains (e.g., Bükk, Buda Hills, Gömör-Torna Karst). The name of the mountain range derives partly from the Moravian word "grics" (hill, steep slope) and partly from the saker falcon, which still nests in secret corners of the mountain.

Browsing the tourist map shows immediately that to the east of the higher, more forested area around Tatabánya, in a vast region, there are almost no hiking trails. Through this predominantly hilly landscape runs a high-quality cycle path established in 2017.

In Eastern Gerecse, the northwest-southeast oriented limestone blocks gradually lose height south of the Danube, but the often barren and rocky hillsides, as well as the whimsically winding stream valleys between them, make the landscape truly wild, where you may also encounter livestock and abandoned, deteriorating farms.

Leaving busy Bicske on the closed cycle path, this beautiful unknown landscape gradually unfolds before us. In the charming Csabdi, the proximity of Budapest is still noticeable, but quickly disappears as we cycle towards Vasztély. The secondary road winds through picturesque hills, but traffic is light, so we can enjoy sightseeing peacefully. Before Vasztély, a sign indicates the cycle path's detour to the left; from there to Tarján, we enjoy a closed cycle path on excellent asphalt.

On the former Bicskei road

At the start of the closed cycle path, a sign warns that local traffic may be encountered. Then we ride along lush meadows, forest patches, and bushes by the Szent László creek. The first abandoned farms and barren limestone blocks become visible. Near a nearby cycling rest area, there is an old roadside cross erected by Ferencz Sterk in 1884. It is worth climbing the nearby barren hillside in front of us (with an old, low hunting lookout at the top), from where the landscape is well visible, and the changes of the region can be felt. According to the map, decades ago this landscape was cultivated in a farmstead system. The feeling of abandonment is somewhat relieved by the opposite hillside filled with cattle, whose bell ringing brings life to the landscape. Looking forward, the most significant summit of Southern Gerecse, the 447-meter Somlyó, known for its unique panorama, is visible, and further away, the main vogel’s ridge of Gerecse, especially the easily recognizable Nagy-Gerecse, a closed 633-meter block with antennas.

Mounting the saddle, we continue pleasantly without big climbs toward the Tarján fishpond, where beside the lake there are many colorful fishing houses, and a hastily made sign on a tree announces the spirit of the place "in the middle of nowhere": "Silence is not empty. It is full of answers." From there on, we cycle amidst the eagle ridges of Gerecse's central part, our eyes fixed on the Nagy-Gerecse rising in blue behind wildflower wheat fields. At a cycling rest area at the top of a climb, we can stop and admire it. Arriving in Tarján, the road leads right past a spectacular wine cellar row straight to the Öreg Favágó Pub, where on a pleasant weekend day, a large crowd of cyclists can be expected.

Discover Gerecse by bicycle – route suggestions to close the tour

With family, it's advisable to return to Bicske (or Csabdi) on the described, quite safe road. However, if we are not with children, or they are older and strong cyclists, we can choose somewhat busier, but still secondary roads and avoid returning on the previously traveled route to the railway. The shortest tour leads to Alsógallá, belonging to Tatabánya, also on secondary roads (from Tarján add 11.4 km). See the Gerecse big circle cycling route description for this section.

From Tarján, heading towards Gyermely and covering a big circle to Tata, unfolding the most beautiful parts of Gerecse, we can combine this with our previous route on the Gerecse big circle cycle path, although this requires more effort.

Between the described easy and hard versions, we can choose a medium-difficulty (totally 63-km) but very rich-in-scenery tour if we cycle from Tarján to Tardos, then via Süttő to Dunaalmás, finishing on the equally excellent closed bike path from Dunaalmás to Tata. In this case, a tougher climb towards Vértestolna must be overcome, then through Tardos on a very pleasant Tardos-Süttő road, we reach the Danube, marveling at the ruins of Bikolpuszta and from afar, viewing the gently rolling hills with a classicizing late Baroque manor house. There is also a short detour possible to the treetop promenade, inaugurated in autumn 2019. This description is also included in the mentioned Gerecse big circle route description. Between Süttő and Dunaalmás, we cycle partly on the wide main Road 10, but in Dunaalmás, we join the closed cycle path leading to Tatabánya, where beyond the amazingly clear karst springs, the wonders of Tata await us at the end of the route (with some extra effort, we can also include the section selected as the cycle path of the year 2020, towards Tatabánya, plus 7 km).