Tour DeSeda

Itinerary

• From Kossuth Lajos Square, cycle a corner east on Fő Street, then immediately turn left onto Kossuth Lajos Street – continue straight from here all the way to Berzsenyi Park.
• Upon reaching Berzsenyi Park, turn right (Damjanich Street), then at the second opportunity turn left onto Hunyadi János Street. This road leads straight to the ice rink.
• At the ice rink Y-junction, turn right; from here starts the bike path leading to the lake, which cannot be missed. At the slope before the lake, you don’t need to coast all the way down; where the road becomes gentler, turn left and cycle all the way along the lake on the bike path parallel to Road 67.
• The lake continues beyond Road 67; the arboretum is also in this direction, and it’s worth continuing – you can reach the arboretum via the bridge.
• On the return, after crossing Road 67, turn left at the cyclist rest area, cross the bridge and then turn right, following the bike path to the southern end of the lake! Turning right beyond the dam, you can reach the already known bike path leading back to Kaposvár.

Detailed description of the route

Our route starts from Kaposvár's carefully renovated main square, Kossuth Lajos Square – if you’re biking with family, the playful statues appearing everywhere will be a big hit. József Rippl-Rónai strolls the pedestrian street in a donkey cart; a little further down, passing Ady Endre and the artist mentioned earlier, whose conversing pair is watched over by a bronze dog, you can stand next to the playing children for a photo; the imposing County Hall building is contrasted by Klará Weeber’s playful statue titled Tótágas under a huge plane tree. Kaposvár is also the city of fountains, with one on almost every corner of our route. Of course, the built heritage is strongly present in the streets. The characteristics of Art Nouveau can be observed on some downtown buildings – for example, the Rainbow Cultural Center – but look up at the Neo-Renaissance Town Hall or the Neo-Romanesque Church of the Assumption façade as well.

Heading towards Lake Deseda, it is recommended to leave the downtown via Kossuth Lajos Street – approaching Bercsényi Park, both the built environment and cycling infrastructure may give you the impression of being in the Netherlands. Bicycle-friendly solutions continue all the way to the city ice rink, where you can turn right at a junction to access the bike path leading to the lake. The significant cycling traffic shows that we are heading to a very popular destination among locals, which is Hungary's longest artificial lake. The standing water was created by damming the Deseda stream, achieved in 1974 by constructing a valley dam, creating a flood reservoir.

The bike path completely encircles the lake, about 15 km long, and you can start the circuit from any side – in this article, we present the options starting from the western side. Visually, it looks like stepping into a fishing paradise, but it seems that people sitting, cycling, or running peacefully coexist on the lake shore. The atmosphere and well-constructed bike path are lined with cycling rest areas, small sunbathing spots, piers, and playgrounds. The coolest playground has a huge pirate ship in its center, and next to it, there is a lookout tower to climb, offering a beautiful wide view of the surroundings. It’s full of excitement if you set out on a bike ride with children.

After about 7 kilometers, you reach Road 67 – from here, you can turn back to the other shore via the bridge next to the cycling rest area, but it is recommended to visit the quieter northern part of the lake first. After a few hundred meters in the forest edge, you will encounter an unusual mix of a slide, a lookout tower, and a canopy trail, which you will immediately take possession of after stopping – you are at the gate of the Deseda adventure forest. Based on the name, one might suspect a forest adventure park and prepare mentally for hanging on the canopy level, but here, something quite different awaits the visitor among the trees. The forest of senses and knowledge, adventure, past, and silence all await exploration. The enigmatic names represent different functions, in order: adventure huts and interactive study trails testing our senses, an adventure playground, a soil profile perfectly showing the forest soil structure and the characteristics of different layers, and a birdwatching site. On the peninsula protruding into the lake – accessible via a wooden bridge – there's an arboretum (and of course, a small playground by the bridge so the little ones won’t get bored). On the 26-hectare plant collection site, there used to be an acacia grove; today, almost all native tree species can be found, 73 deciduous and 38 coniferous types.

At the István Fekete Visitor Center, it is possible to learn about the lake and its environment’s wildlife, not only through showcases but also in a large aquarium. Even more exciting is what’s in front of the visitor center building by the lake shore: birdwatching, a dragonfly house, and active observation sites for frogs and turtles encourage observation. Additionally, boats and bicycles can be rented, and in summer, an electric-powered excursion boat can take you out onto the open water. From here, there is only the way back to Kaposvár downtown, full of experiences, or possibly preparing for a longer Zselic route.