Adventure in the hiding places of Göcsej hills

Itinerary:

• We follow the K+ trail from Salomvár to Erdeifalu, from where we follow the K trail of the South Transdanubian Blue Trail to Kurstánszeg.
• We reach the Kustánszeg Lake via the unmarked Tó street; we go around the lake on the fishing path to the peninsula on the opposite side.
• From Kustánszeg Lake, we cross on an unmarked cart road through Németfalu to Böde.
• From Böde, we join the P trail, which takes us back to Salomvár.

Detailed hike description

Harkály and Salamon

From the center of Salomvár, next to the Catholic church, we start eastward on the K+ trail, then turn south at the first street toward the hills. The village has an interesting historical memory. The son of II. Andrew of the Árpád dynasty, later crowned King Béla IV, was saved and hidden by ispán Miska Vasvári and his son Salamon from nobles who killed Andrew’s wife, Gertrude. The king rewarded Salamon with the village called Harkály, whose name Salamon took, while the village was named Salamonvár, later Salomvár. The village was saved from Turkish destruction by the swamp of the Zala river, while the poor inhabitants were connected to the outside world by the Zala valley railway line.

In a quiet part of the village, on the road to Salomhegy, we leave the scattered houses of the valley basin. With a short but steep climb, we reach Salomhegy and the vineyard and orchard area named after it. This type of farming is typical of the Zala hills: inhabitants plant the hilltops above the village and build timber-walled press houses, regularly going up to the 'vineyard hill' in the evening to work and live social life. We see a few old houses alongside newly built vacation homes. These hilltops were inhabited in the old days until during communism, residents of the vineyard were ordered to move to the village or town.

At a centuries-old oak, we leave the houses and continue through open fields connected to the wide gravel road leading to Németfalu and Erdeifalu. The local highland bears the name of a medieval village destroyed during the Turkish era; on the Cigányhegy ridge, farms and houses line up again. Here we find a simple bell tower and a crucifix, typical of vineyard hills. Continuing along the ridge, passing flowering meadows and a Christmas tree farm, we leave the gravel road descending to Németfalu and step onto a clay grader road entering the forested area. Although acacias grow along the road, beautiful hardwood forests, oaks, and beeches inhabit the valleys starting on both sides.

In the attraction of water

From the lowest point of the valley meeting, we climb behind a field opening with a cultivated plot, from where we can look around at the surrounding forests. On the hilltop, we arrive at the once settled area, Erdeifalu, where a school operated after World War II until the 1970s. Today mostly ruins remain here; a few houses survived decay. The area lord, the youngest Eitner son, hid for half a year in a sandstone cave in the nearby forest, waiting for the post-war world events. His most loyal servant supplied him with food, slipping out of the house every evening until finally his lord fled west, giving up everything.

From the right, the South Transdanubian Blue Trail K merges here, which we then follow to Kustánszeg. We soon leave the ridge road and, riding the waves of hills, arrive at the border of Kustánszeg through oak and acacia forests. We only touch one of Göcsej’s largest settlements, descending into the valley among weekend houses built on the opposite hillside. It is worth visiting the church and the open-air museum if you have time. Another attraction of the village is the valley dam reservoir built in the northern border in the ’80s, an ideal resting place. Around the lake formed by the confluence of two small creeks, a pine, birch, and willow grove creates a picturesque environment, a holiday and fishing paradise in the marshy area.

Leaving the K trail at the Göcsej campsite at the edge of Kustánszeg, we turn north on the road leading to the reservoir, between weekend houses, now unmarked. Passing the dam on the left, we arrive at a comfortable waterfront with a beach, playground, and buffet. It’s recommended to rest here at the halfway point of the hike, swim, and recharge for the continuation. From here, we walk on well-followed paths without markings along the valley floor. The lake itself is encircled by a path designed for anglers, which we follow to the tip of the opposite peninsula, crossing the stream feeding the reservoir by a small wooden bridge. From the corner of the lake, there is a great view over Kustánszeg’s houses and church above the water surface.

A wide cart road heads north, gradually moving away from the lake shore, leading through Németfalu. After a few hundred meters, it turns onto a cart road running under power lines, accompanying us to the next village. Only one triple fork may cause hesitation; here we choose the middle diagonal road crossing the field, although the widest left path also curves toward the village.

Land of roe deer and deer

Across valley meadows and fields, we reach Németfalu, built on a hill like Kustánszeg. The settlement has a quiet, peaceful atmosphere typical of a cul-de-sac village. Among tidy houses, we arrive at the Assumption of Mary chapel in the center, where we cross the street and leave the village to the right into an opening valley. On a deep sandy road, we enter the valley bottom candle forest, which leads to the meeting of the Jám and Szentmihályi streams. Among alder and willow groves, we arrive at the edge of fields, then here to the left, along the forest edge at the foot of Újhegy, we turn north, reaching an even larger field. This is the spring area of the Szentmihályi stream, the start of one of Göcsej’s largest watercourses. Many deer come here to drink and feast in the marshy meadow. In the hidden valley, print follows print, and you can almost feel the gaze of the wild animals. If we move quietly, we are almost sure to see deer, roe deer, or fox. The cart road bends to the valley meadow and crosses the stream near a hunting stand. Turning right, we follow the stream, crossing fields and groves until we reach Böde.

Next to the village sports field, we join Petőfi street and the P trail, which leads through the small settlement. In the center, we pass a tile-covered, skirted bell tower. This is a typical building of Göcsej and Őrség, reminiscent of the old poor world when the religious community could not afford to build a church.

We leave the village beside the cemetery, where a long climb begins into Kávás border, to the ridge of the hill above the Zala river. Through acacia and pine forests, we reach the spacious field on the hilltop. From here, we continue with alternating views in different directions until the end of our hike. Here is the easiest place to shorten the hike, as all paths starting right, to the north, lead down to Kávás, the main traffic corridor of the Zala valley.

Memories of a vanished manor

We turn west, following the rhythmically undulating hills along the P trail back to Salomvár. To the right, on top of each 'vineyard hill' above Kávás, houses, vineyards, and orchards line up. Occasionally, we have the opportunity to glimpse the Zala river valley, which runs from east to west bordered by hillsides.

Reaching the highest hill, Kacsi Hill, we pass agricultural buildings and, in the curve of the road, an eerie manor ruin in a grove of wild plane trees. This was the former center of the Eitner family, owners of the area. Kurta manor shone in aristocratic splendor until nationalization after the war. After the owners fled to Austria from the new world order, the servants were unable to cultivate the left-behind lands due to lack of seeds and animals. A state school operated in the manor for a while, but over time, families moved to the village or Zalaegerszeg.

From the manor, we descend on an asphalt road from the hill, and with views of Kávás houses, through a spacious valley covered with fields, we return to the starting point of our hike.