Alpintrail – challenge in the Buda Hills

Itinerary

• From Kovács Confectionery (first checkpoint) head toward the church on the Z trail, then follow it until you reach the junction with ZΩ – here turn left toward Ördöglyuk Cave.
• From Ördöglyuk Cave return on the ZΩ trail and turn left (Z trail), then after about 500 meters, turn right onto a steep, unmarked path and follow it until you reach the K trail – here turn left and follow the K markings all the way to Remete Gorge.
• In Remete Gorge turn right onto the K↺ trail, and follow the path ascending along the foot of Hosszú-Erdő Hill until it turns sharply left. Continue straight on the unmarked path to the clearing at the edge of the mining pit where there is a checkpoint. Return to Remete Gorge via the same route.
• Upon returning to Remete Gorge turn left, leaving the K↺ trail behind in favor of K◼. In Remeteszőlős, upon reaching the P+ trail, turn left, then cross the road leading to Nagykovácsi and continue the route on the P+ trail to the P hiking path.
• At the P trail turn right, then after about one kilometer turn left onto the P▲. The narrowing path of P▲ crosses over Kopasz-erdő Peak and continues on a dozer road – follow this until the Z+ joins from the left.
• Turn left onto the Z+ trail and follow it all the way to Makkosmária. (To reach one checkpoint, after climbing a small hill, upon reaching a clearing turn right onto an unmarked path – if you reach the military graves you have passed the junction.)
• From Makkosmária follow the ᵯ trail to Anna Meadow, then turn onto the Z trail which leads under the Fairy Rock. Upon reaching the Z▲, turn left; this leads up to Fairy Rock (checkpoint). On the other side of Fairy Rock, an unmarked path leads down; upon reaching the marked hiking trail, turn left and follow first the Z↺ and then the Z+ trails to Szépjuhászné.
• From Szépjuhászné the S trail leads over Nagy-Hárs Hill to Hűvösvölgy. After crossing Hűvösvölgyi road switch to the K trail until the S trail appears again (from the right). From here the S trail continues to the Újlaki Hill checkpoint.
• Descend from Újlaki Hill on the S trail to the end of Szépvölgyi road, then proceed on the asphalt (or the parallel forest path) all the way to Fenyőgyöngye, then turn left following the K trail for several hundred meters.
• At the sharp left bend of the parallel asphalt road turn right onto the K+ trail which leads to Mátyás Hill (checkpoint). Descending along the edge of the quarry you will finally leave the forest (and the hiking signs) behind. From here follow Mátyáshegyi road - Folyondár street - Mikoviny street - steep staircase - Doberdó street - Bécsi road - Tímár street route. Upon reaching Fényes Adolf street turn left; from here it's only a few steps to the finish (Alpinbike-Alpinrun cycling and trail running specialty store).

Detailed description of the route

The route starts from Kovács Confectionery located in Nagykovácsi – if you pass by during opening hours, be sure not to miss tasting a pastry or the small pogácsa biscuit! Once stocked up, head to the first checkpoint, Ördöglyuk Cave, almost entirely following the Z trail. Turn your back first on the village church (and another confectionery; there’s also a market on Saturdays), then head uphill between the houses.

The world of smiths, miners, and hermits

Nagykovácsi is a cul-de-sac settlement located in a basin surrounded by Nagy-Szénás, Kutya Hill, and Nagy-Kopasz, split by Ördög-ditch. Its name is descriptive: it was named after the royal blacksmiths living here in the Middle Ages. During the Turkish occupation, the village did not become depopulated but the population did reduce significantly, so in the early 18th century the Habsburg rulers settled Swabian people here. Looking at today’s typical agglomeration settlement, it’s almost unbelievable that serious coal mining took place nearby until the last mine, Jóreménység Altar, operated until 1969. The village preserves several mining memorials; one can be visited with a roughly 50-meter detour: the column rows of a ropeway transporting sand for the filling of Jóreménység Altar accompany a memorial stone and many pine trees, welcoming hikers.

Soon we enter the forest following the Z trail, passing the ruins of zsíros-hegyi tourist house (nearby there is a great buffet named Muflonitató), and after a steep descent, turn left onto a path (ZΩ trail) towards Ördöglyuk Cave (first checkpoint). We descend along a ravine on a single-track path, then climb several dozen steps along the edge of an old mining chamber, and soon arrive at the cave, from which there is a magnificent northern view. In the background of the Solymár (or also called Vörösvár) valley, Kevély hills and the Pilis massif can be seen; turning around, there is an almost perfectly circular cavity in the limestone. Approaching closer, you can feel pleasantly cool air flowing from an arrow-shaped opening in its door, indicating it is not the only entrance. Indeed, the 5,550-meter-long thermal cave originally had three entrances, one of which has been sealed, but the others still exist. The researchers and spelunkers gave interesting names to the chambers: near the entrance is the Resting Place, leading to the Antechamber, and descending further to the Cellar or the Slide. There are also Circus, Labyrinth, Eye Hole, and Guano chambers, the last deserves special mention as it refers both to the bats’ favorite refuge and to the fact that around the turn of the century a venture extracted tons of bat guano from here for soil improvement.

To the second checkpoint, the recommended route goes up a fairly steep ascent, turning right from the Z trail onto an unmarked path, then at the K trail turning left and following the National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra) to the entrance of Remete Gorge. (A real hermit lived in the gorge, who moved into the Remete Cave in the 18th century – altogether there are about 20 small to larger caves in the narrow valley.) Descending steeply from Remete Hill, cross the watercourse named Ördög-árok, then turn right onto the K↺ trail. Leaving the wide road from the valley, take a path ascending along the foot of Hosszú-Erdő Hill, circumventing half the hill from the south, then after a sharp left turn climb the peak. At the end, an unmarked, just ascending path leads to a tiny clearing above a mining pit where the checkpoint is located. Return to Remeteszőlős via the known route, feeling satisfied for the climb – both for the view and the joy of a successful checkpoint visit.

Leaving Remete Gorge in Remeteszőlős, pass a small park with a special phone booth where by lifting the receiver to your ear you can listen to Örkény's one-minute stories. There is also a book exchange station for exchanging unwanted books, as well as a musical drinking fountain and a barefoot educational trail.

Red wild boars, dead soldiers, giant sequoias

From Remeteszőlős start climbing toward Kecske-back on the P+ trail. Upon reaching the P trail turn right, then pass by Red Pond where wild boars likely regularly wallow. The 80-90 centimeter-high red spots on the trees around the pond indicate where they rub off excess mud, which helps cool them in summer and protects their skin and fur from parasites (ticks, fleas, mosquitoes).

Upon reaching the P▲ trail turn left; the path toward Kopasz-erdő-tető is well navigable and almost pleasantly ascending. The path eventually becomes single-track, with some small rock outcrops adding variety. Crossing the ridge of Vörös-pocsolyás-back, the descent to a dozer road is refreshing – follow this until you can turn left onto the Z+ trail which leads all the way to Budakeszi. Until the road leading to Páty mostly only downhill with one smaller hill to the summit (here turn right off the marked road onto a path crossing the field northwest), there you will find the next checkpoint.

Returning to the trail, you will immediately pass three soldiers' graves who lost their lives during the WWII operation called the breakout operation. The military graves in the Buda Hills remind of a completely pointless and tragic "operation": in February 1945, a part of the German and Hungarian soldiers trapped in Buda Castle tried to break through the Soviet siege and reach their own lines. It is estimated only 700 soldiers succeeded while about twenty thousand set out. Proceeding down a dynamic slope, you reach the road towards Telki, alongside which is a barely visible path continuing past the stables' fence. The trail winds between fields and pastures on a moderately deep, sandy cart road, then passes under the giant sequoias to reach Budakeszi's border. The two huge (35-36 meter tall) trees once stood with a third which did not survive a lightning strike; likely planted by the Zichys, owners of the surrounding lands and reputedly building a hunting lodge. Since 2009, six more sequoia saplings have been planted, aiming to form a "forest of giants".

We barely touch Budakeszi and head toward Mária Gorge. In the narrowing valley, the Mária Rock suddenly appears, an ancient shrine (also a checkpoint). Although the valley was renamed Meteor Gorge in the 1950s, the small cave under the rock was blown up, and even a animal burial pit was dug nearby; now the moss-covered rock is decorated with Mária religious objects. The path narrows at several points requiring some scrambling over smaller rocks, but overall remains well navigable winding through the valley. Turning through Budakeszi's outermost streets, soon reach Makkosmária, a popular pilgrimage and excursion destination. According to legend, a small chapel stood here before the Turkish era; its verified history begins only in the mid-18th century. In 1731, a young man named János Traub was heading to the vineyard when the suffering face of Christ appeared on a roadside oak tree. Later he became ill but was miraculously healed and bought a painting of the Virgin Mary which he hung on the oak. Over time increasing numbers of visitors came to see the sacred image; a chapel was erected above it, and later the Trinitarian order built a church and monastery here in 1768. The King's Angels church houses the sacred painting and a piece of the oak tree; it remains a renowned pilgrimage site, currently managed by the Dominican order.

The most popular attractions of the Buda Hills

From Makkosmária on a continuously ascending road, passing the popular Csacsi Meadow, and crossing the Children's Railway tracks, reach the even more popular Anna Meadow, with fire pits, a cool playground, and a small chapel awaiting visitors. The meadow was already a favorite excursion site for Budakeszi’s grape-growing population in the 18th century, and Saint Anna's chapel has welcomed pilgrims from Budakeszi and Zugliget since 1830. Soon we pass the ruins of the once beautiful Disznófő restaurant, then descend further to climb stairs leading to Fairy Rock (checkpoint). The ascent is steep in short sections, but well worth the checkpoint visit and the view.

After leaving Fairy Rock, head toward Szépjuhászné. According to legend, in the saddle between János Hill and Nagy-Hárs Hill King Matthias met a beautiful shepherdess – hence the place name. Crossing Budakeszi road, turn immediately left, crossing the small railway tracks and following the S trail. The station was called Ságváriliget during the pioneer railway times; its building houses a buffet and is a few minutes' walk from the ruins of the Budaszentlőrinc Pauline monastery. Crossing the tracks, a steep path leads to Kaán Károly lookout on top of Nagy-Hárs Hill (don't forget to check in at the checkpoint!). From its top level enjoy panoramic views including the next checkpoint, Újlaki Hill, a small rocky peak on the side of Hármashatár Hill. You must first descend to Hűvösvölgy – the lost elevation nearly 6 meters must be "made up", meaning almost a return climb. This ascent also has quite unpleasant short steep sections – but no challenge, no victory; the organizers do not make the black level easy. The Újlaki Hill checkpoint is recognizable mainly by a lookout bench located on a rocky clearing. If you have time, rest here a few minutes before returning to the pavement of Szépvölgyi road.

Passing the monolith reminiscent of the former city border (a stone block marking Hidegkút and Budapest boundary standing roadside since the 1880s), head toward Fenyőgyöngye along the path parallel to the asphalt road. Upon reaching Fenyőgyöngye (named after the restaurant standing here), the penultimate climb begins, this time toward Remete Hill. The last smaller hill, Mátyás Hill (checkpoint), does not give in easily but the former quarry edge offers unmatched views of Buda hills, the Citadel, and the Parliament. At the bottom of the mining pit lies the entrance to Mátyás Cave, one of many longer or shorter cavities hidden inside the hill. Unlike Pál Valley dripstone cave (located on the other side of Szépvölgyi road), this is not a developed cave but it is popular among amateurs due to guided tours – it is truly a unique experience to descend to the 98-meter-deep crystal-clear lake from the entrance. On our tour, a bit over 180 meters of descent remains, sometimes interspersed with steps alongside the quarry. After reaching the asphalt road, the rest of the way to the finish (Alpinbike-Alpinrun cycling and trail running specialty store) is easy.

Your tour is considered completed if you check in at the start and finish and collect at least five checkpoints in between. Proof of the tour, i.e., the check-ins at the checkpoints, is done through the GeoGo app, which is recommended to register on before starting the tour at home. The tour is free, but upon successful completion you can order a completion medal for 3000 HUF. Upon successful completion, you can proudly find your name on the list available on the tour's website – it is really worth covering nearly 50 kilometers and overcoming more than 1,400 meters of elevation difference!

Levels:

• Collecting 5 points: "green" level, recommended for families, beginners in orienteering, and those who don’t want to tour under tight time limits.
• Collecting 6 points: "blue" level, recommended for more experienced hikers who enjoy the excitement of performance hiking.
• Collecting 7 points: "yellow" level, recommended for fast, experienced orienteers, trail runners, and mountain bikers.
• Collecting 8 points: "black" level, recommended for trail runners and mountain bikers seeking a challenge.