Over hills and borders in the Őrség

Itinerary

• Depart from the roundabout in Őriszentpéter towards Szentgotthárd/Szalafő.
• Crossing the Zala River and re-entering a populated area (still within Őriszentpéter), turn left at the first junction towards Szalafő; from here, the road leads straight to Pityerszer, where the route continues on a gravel road.
• The gravel road first runs west along the border, then turns north, later follows the flow of the Zala River eastward for a stretch, then turns north again to reach the asphalt road leading to Farkasfa; turn left here.
• In Farkasfa, keep left at the village junction, then leaving the village and the hilltop, turn left again at the next junction (towards Apátistvánfalva/Orfalu).
• We pass through Orfalu, then at Apátistvánfalva turn left again at the junction towards Kétvölgy. From here, go straight to Šalovci on the Slovenian side – if you want to see the Katalin Hill lookout, you have to turn right towards Kétvölgy along the way.
• In Šalovci, upon reaching the main road, turn left towards Hodoš/Hodos; this road leads to the border, but it is worth making a short detour to the ethnographic house in Kapornak (Krplivnik).
• Crossing the border, Bajánsenye follows, where at the intersection next to the church, turn left towards Körmend/Szombathely/Budapest – this road leads straight back to Őriszentpéter.

Detailed description of the tour

The largest among the dispersed settlements

Our starting point, Őriszentpéter, the "capital of Őrség," is the same type of dispersed settlement as any other in the area. The whole Őrség is characterized by the unique structure of settlements that consist of a few houses – usually located on hilltops – called "szerek"; smaller settlements contain 2–4, larger ones might comprise 6–8 szerek. This peculiar settlement structure is explained by Őrség's past: the conquering Hungarians settled guards along the western border to protect it – hence the name of the region. You can find wonderful rural guesthouses in almost every szer, and it is worth spending one or more nights in one of them to have enough time to explore the area.

Before departure from Őriszentpéter (or after arrival), it is worth detouring to the Malom Visitor Center, which serves the local cultural and information center. Just a few minutes from the starting point along the route, on the Templomszer, there is a genuine rarity: a well-preserved Árpád-era building, the Saint Peter's Church. Built around 1230 in Romanesque style, it was later expanded in Gothic style and then fortified in the mid-16th century. Today, only the deep moat remains to remind us of the bastions, ramparts, and ditches that were once defended by 30–40, or even up to 100 guards – it was besieged and destroyed by the Turks in 1664 during the Battle of Szentgotthárd.

Riding along the border zone

From the village-edge church, our tour leads towards Szalafő (meaning "source of the Zala," near the source of the Transdanubian river), passing the Gatter Inn, a former sawmill now functioning as lodging, and then continuing towards Pityerszer. Reaching the open-air museum five kilometers from here, we have already passed one of the four hills on our way, a pleasant warm-up. Pityerszer probably takes its name from the bird called pityer (dispersed settlements are often named after local families, geographical positions, or other characteristics), and here you can find perhaps Hungary's friendliest open-air museum, where all the features of Őrség architecture can be seen. These include the kódisállás (a protruding porch on brick houses where travelers and beggars once sheltered), the U-shaped fenced house, and the kástu, a separate storage room. The households usually had a “tóka” – a pit or small pond for collecting water, used for watering animals, irrigation, or even washing.

From here, we head towards Farkasfa along a forest dozer road, following the border line for a while. Ramparts already ran here in Avar times, but today there is no trace of them, nor of the fortified settlements from the Hungarian conquest period; only the names of certain places preserve their memories. After leaving Farkasfa, we conquer the second hill, passing a meteorological station on its top, aiming for Orfalu. The tiny village had 71 inhabitants in 2015 and is known for its wooden bell tower built in 1823. Many other villages in Őrség also have such structures, for example Pankasz, Szomoróc, or Felsőszenterzsébet.

In the next village, Apátistvánfalva, perhaps the toughest climb awaits: the short but steep ascent challenges many, with some pushing the bike to reach the church on the hilltop. There are two attractions worth spending some time on in the village: one is the Border Guard Memorial and Museum, and the other is the adjacent Ecotourism Information Center. The former is housed in the former border guard station building and – unsurprisingly – presents daily life experiences of the border guards with many artifacts, including off-road vehicles, an assault boat, or even a field kitchen, as well as various radios, uniforms, and weapons. The Ecotourism Information Center, accessible by prior arrangement, offers insights into the attractions of the Rába region as well as the culture and history of Őrség.

After the fourth hill, leaving the more difficult part of the tour behind us, we proceed towards the lookout near Kétvölgy. From this ideal resting place, one can enjoy a good view of the rolling landscape of the Rába region, and since this is about halfway through the tour, it is worth spending some time to admire the scenery.

Rolling in Slovenia, gentle climbing in Hungary

From the Kétvölgy lookout, one can roll undisturbed all the way to border-side Őrihodos in Slovenia – with perfect quality asphalt and gradients that are sometimes steeper, sometimes barely noticeable. Near the border in Markovci (Marokrét), we encountered the source of Őrség's liquid green gold, the pumpkin seed. The plant has been cultivated in the region for nearly a century, and since 2002, a festival has grown around it on the Hungarian side: the Őrség Pumpkin Festival offers programs in four villages (Őriszentpéter, Szalafő, Nagyrákos, Magyarszombatfa) on a weekend at the end of September. After leaving the pumpkin fields, we reach the road leading to the border, from which it is worth turning off towards Kapornak (Krplivnik) before Őrihodos to visit the local ethnographic house, whose rich collection was assembled by residents of the surrounding villages. Most inhabitants here are of Hungarian ethnicity – the historical Őrség also extends over the border into Slovenia, covering eight villages. Returning to the "main Őrség road," although we have passed the four hills, the road rather gently climbs through Bajánsenye on the Hungarian side towards the border of Őriszentpéter, from where we roll down a pleasant slope back to the starting point.

While the route is not particularly rich in outstanding sights (apart from the open-air museum and the church in Őriszentpéter), we highly recommend the quiet roads of the Őrség to everyone – though a bit more fitness is needed compared to a flatland route. You will not find real mountains here, but climbing many small hills will take a lot of energy out of the average cyclist. The reward, however, is a wonderful experience.