Telex endurance hike - Along the Pilis ridge

Itinerary:

• From Csillaghegy to Róka-hegy on the P trail
• At Róka-hegy a detour on the P▲ trail, then back to the P trail 
• At Majdán-nyereg we switch from the P trail to the S trail, from which near the Oszoly peak we turn onto the P▲ trail
• From Oszoly towards Csobánka paths P▲, S, S+ lead, in this order.
• In the center we switch to the Z+ trail, which joins the Z marked hiking trail at the village boundary. 
• Following the Z marked trail, we first climb Hosszú-hegy, then Pilis-tető, where at a Z▲ branch we reach the summit.
• From the lookout we return to the Z trail and follow it up to the Z▲ sign before Pilis-nyereg. We pass it to the Fekete-kő lookout and back. 
• We continue on the Z trail to Kétágú-hegy, up to the Z▲ branch marking Öreg-szirt. We walk out, stamp then return to the Z trail.
• Soon, take a right turn on the Z trail, descend towards Kesztölc, then follow the National Blue Trail (K) to the Palatinus Lake in Dorog - check in at a new checkpoint here - and follow the signs of the Maria Path to the foot of Kis-Strázsa-hegy. The last checkpoint is at the top of Kis-Strázsa-hegy, so whoever checks in there finishes the hike - no need to go to the Esztergom railway station for this.

Detailed description of the hike

From the Csillaghegy starting point we follow the P hiking sign along the Ürömi road, then walk up the suggestively named Hegymászó street to reach the stairs leading to the top of Róka-hegy. To see the spectacular rock courtyard and to 'stamp' at the top, you have to detach from the P sign and follow the P▲ sign for a short section towards the former mine. The steep climb dotted with many stone steps is immediately challenging: if you can’t handle this, reconsider continuing. The second checkpoint is at the edge above the mine gorge (behind the railing), offering a view of all Budapest.

We step back from the P▲ sign to the P trail, then pass through a pleasant forest and an even nicer meadow to reach the southeastern foot of Kevélyek. Several waves of ascents follow from the foot of Kevélyek, interrupted by descents that are sometimes quite steep. The first panorama tied to the climbs can be enjoyed under the summit of Nagy-Kevély. The sunny rocky ridge is a favorite destination for hikers, and paragliders often come there too. On the top of Nagy-Kevély there once was a wooden lookout and a triangulation pyramid, the stump legs of which still stick out of the ground. Here is the third verification point where you have to check in.

From the summit, following the P sign, we first descend to Kevély-nyereg, then further down to Majdán-nyereg, from where we turn to the S trail and ascend through Csúcs-hegy to reach Oszoly above Csobánka. The summit features an atmospheric rock lookout with a large wooden cross and a special panorama revealing the inner part of the mountain range. Here we punch the fourth virtual stamp into the electronic log. The recommended route leads a short way to Csobánka center, where after 12 kilometers walked we can buy refreshments at local shops.

From Csobánka we head onto the Z hiking trail, which climbs over two steeper ascents beside the Sarlós Boldogasszony forest chapel (note: the water from the Szentkút next to the chapel is tasty and cold!) to the elongated, flat ridge of Hosszú-hegy. From the forest path we turn left onto a well-visible, rather worn, short path on the top leading to a panoramic rock bench and a paraglider launch site. From the lookout you can nicely stare at Pilisvörösvár, Pilisszántó, and opposite the high hills of Nagy-Szénás. No need to rush the sightseeing; moreover, this is the fifth verification point.

From Hosszú-hegy a gentle, almost downhill slope leads down to Szántói-nyereg. Rest is needed because from the saddle starts the last, the biggest and most exhausting ascent, often winding like a serpent; at the top we reach the summit of the hike, the 756-meter-high Pilis-tető. We check the sixth checkpoint at the Pilis-tető lookout. From the summit we take off like a rocket - an apt phrase here, since before the regime change there was an air defense missile base on the hilltop, and several concrete bunkers are still visible. We almost fly on the flat Z trail, but be aware as we soon arrive at the seventh verification point branch, a Z▲ trail that takes a short 20-minute detour to the Fekete-kő rock lookout. From there you can study Pilisszentlélek squeezed between the Pilis and Visegrád mountains, as well as many surrounding hills of the two ranges.

From Fekete-kő we drop down into Pilis-nyereg, a somewhat one-sided saddle, continuing mostly level with a barely noticeable ascent. We reach the southern branch of Kétágú-hegy, on the eastern side with perhaps the most beautiful rock cliff of Pilis, the Öreg-szirt. Of course here on the cliff is the eighth verification point, and from the Z marked hiking trail a roughly 100-meter-long Z▲ trail branches off to the cliff.

From Öreg-szirt a somewhat unpleasant descent follows for tired legs in the saddle between the two branches of Kétágú-hegy, then we say goodbye to the Z hiking trail and turn onto the Z+ trail, which is marked in online hiking maps but still planned as a route.

ATTENTION, CHANGE!!!

It turned out that the Z+ trail planned on maps does not and will not exist according to the intentions of the Duna-Ipoly National Park, as the roughly six-kilometer-long section from Kétágú-hegy, Öreg-szirt to Kis-Strázsa-hegy summit is mostly a strictly protected natural area. Therefore, we were asked to modify the route on the last section of the hike. Since nature protection is especially important for Telex, we changed the route in the last few kilometers.

The alternative section bypasses the last mountains of the Pilis ridge from the southwest, Tábla-hegy and Nagy-Strázsa-hegy. From Kétágú-hegy you have to descend on the Z hiking trail towards Kesztölc, then follow the National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra) to Dorog's Palatinus Lake - check in at a new, the ninth verification point - and follow the signs of the Maria Path to the foot of Kis-Strázsa-hegy. The last, tenth verification point is at the top of Kis-Strázsa-hegy, so whoever checks in there finishes the hike - no need to go on to the Esztergom railway station for this. Don’t forget to congratulate yourself and download the personalized certificate featuring the Grafitember caricature.