At Pilis rock gate

Itinerary

• We leave Piliscsév on the P trail.
• At the edge of the village, we switch to the P▲ trail branching straight, which leads to the Csévi Cave.
• From the Csévi Cave, we follow the S▲ trail to the Esperanto Spring.
• From the Esperanto Spring, the S● signs lead further.
• The S trail merges in, where we turn left.
• At a junction, we turn right onto the P trail.
• On the KΩ and PΩ trails branching right, we first visit the Bachelor and then the Maiden Caves before returning to the P trail.
• We follow the P trail rightward to a junction.
• We turn left to the Z+ signs.
• At one point, we make a left detour on the Z▲ trail to the Chimney Rock.
• We keep left on the Z+ trail to a junction.
• We take another left turn and cross Klastrompuszta following the S trail.
• We turn right on the K trail, which leads back to Piliscsév.

About the route in detail

From Csév to the mountain ridge

We begin our hike from the village center on the P trail, which immediately turns towards the Pilis ridge. The predecessor of the settlement was located a bit further, and it ceased to exist during the Turkish era. Slovak inscriptions and names found here and there reveal that later Slovak settlers founded a new village after the Esztergom chapter called for them to the area. They also built the wine cellar row whose shady, cozy little houses line the road. The Roman milestone under the statue of Saint Urban is a memory from a much earlier period: the surrounding hills were crossed by a Roman road connecting Aquincum to Brigetio (today’s Szőny). Remains of a watchtower have also been excavated at the village boundary. As we proceed, the Pilis side seems increasingly immense, split almost apart by limestone blocks. At a junction, the holiday homes disappear, and from here we follow the P▲ trail.

The path takes a left turn and winds uphill through a branching oak forest. The climb is relatively steep, but when it starts to ease, the steep edge of the ridge occasionally appears on the left. There are several spots to stand on the rocks and finally enjoy the view: the edge of the Pilis stretches in a straight line, with the rocky side of Kétágú Mountain standing out prominently. Looking in the opposite direction, fields replace the forests, and behind Piliscsév, the wooded peaks of Gerecse rise. The same view greets us when a small junction invites us left, leading to a protruding cliff.

Visiting the Pilis hollow

The rocky cliff’s stepped nose can also be followed downward, but this is recommended only for those who move skillfully on the exposed, uneven terrain. Handholds assist with the climbing, which is short but makes the rock surface wild. Below, the hollow of the Csévi Cave yawns; it is worth descending carefully. Like other caves in the area, it was formed in the mountain’s belly by hot waters rising from the deep karst, dissolving the limestone. Due to obliquely positioned rock layers indicating the direction of dissolution, the hollow resembles a tilted horn. Here you have the opportunity for a quick visit to the Pilis hollow by taking on the slippery path and descending by headlamp light, avoiding rubble. On the other side, you can exit the limestone block. The cave (like its neighbors) came to a roof position and opened to the surface when vertical movements raised the Pilis blocks. Erosion then began to attack, and tectonic forces caused huge shattered rock fragments to fall to the floor. There are two large exits above and one below, and inside the marks of spherical niches dissolved by hot waters deepen the walls.

Meeting place of Esperanto miners

From the cliff viewpoint, we return into the forest, but this time at a junction a few meters further, we switch left to the S▲ trail. Along with the pictograms, the decorations change too; we descend along a wind-exposed, mature oak forest on a wheel track. With a sharp left turn we slip into the valley, then again left along a ditch. As the furrow deepens, the climate cools, so beech and hornbeam also appear as mixed species. On our right the ditch becomes rockier, and at one point the bone-dry stairs of a former waterfall come into view—the stream has not dried up but moved under the limestone belly and flows underground. But this is not the last surprise the valley holds: shortly after, a richly equipped rest area fills the widening valley bottom. Above the Esperanto Spring, you can swing on a rope swing, and the spring water is brought to the surface by a hand pump. Benches, tables, fire pits, and a rain shelter stand next to a smaller retaining wall and a stone stage intended as a stage. The place had long been known by its Slovak name; later, visiting Esperanto enthusiasts from Újpest renamed it, or according to other sources, miners from Dorog, whose views conflicted with the regime, usually met here—they had the alibi of learning Esperanto. Anyway, the spring and the shelter were demolished weeks after construction for political reasons by the Piliscsév authorities and rebuilt in the 1960s by Esperanto enthusiasts. The pump was completed in 2013 at the site of a long-dry spring due to nearby mining.

Caves up high

Our path takes a right turn here and proceeds up the rocky gorge of the valley along the S● trail. Earlier, huge moss-covered limestone blocks lie in the ditch; we can admire the waterfall site from the front as well. We climb out of the valley to the left and join the S trail following the Pilis-tető (Pilis Peak) side through an oak and pine mixed forest solo track. We swing left on it, but shortly reach a junction. This time we turn right; the P trail sets off down the slope.

The Pilis blocks can be well followed on maps, rising along an almost straight fault line, seeming to leap over their surroundings like Lego pieces, enclosed by extremely steep breaks. The exposed, uncovered limestone blocks have sometimes lost their support and cracked, leaving raw rock faces behind. We are heading to such an area when we target the Csévi Cliffs grouped in the back yard of Pilis Peak.

Once we turn right along the KΩ trail, the landscape changes quickly: the ray-shadowed path leads into a dark beech forest, with stone rubble mixed in the leaf litter suggesting higher rock walls hidden in the woods. Dead trees and limestone cones dominate the steep path, and finally the huge hall of the Bachelor Cave blocks our way. From the trees we can see towards Gerecse; besides, the sizable but elegantly arched rock dome offers an experience for the casual hiker. However, the site holds much greater importance for archaeologists and cavers.

Because the cave system is located at the edge of the Pilis-tető block, where rock block movements have occurred, it lies in a zone exposed to many tectonic effects—the surprising high altitude of its current exits is also a result of vertical displacements. Like the previously visited Csévi Cave, this system was initially formed by hot water rising from below, then connected with surface infiltrating rainwater. Due to fault development, very intricate, often branching passages evolved, partly formed and widened by karst water since then. The complex Ariadne cave system is the third longest in our country, with its passages exceeding 15 kilometers in total length. This number may increase, as its exploration continues today. Archaeologically, the surface cavities were started to be explored by Lajos Bella and Ottokár Kadic in the early 20th century, who proved among others the presence of early humans.

Descending onto the path, the right branch of the PΩ trail leads to the Maiden Cave. The track weaving around wild rocks and root tangles ends in a stepped way and terminates in a smaller cave opening compared to the previous one. At its entrance, the tilt angle of the shifted limestone layers is beautifully outlined, which inside also results in a spectacular effect: thanks to a surface-opening chimney, the structural faults’ role in passage formation is revealed. Water advances through these cracks, slowly expanding the cavity—resulting in passages aligned along fault directions. In front of the chamber, cavers built almost a walkway out of broken rock. More interestingly, the opposite vertical wall shows a rich pattern created by hot water dissolution forms (sometimes horseshoe-shaped, sometimes spherical). The Maiden Cave forms a system linked with the Bachelor cave—the connection was discovered in 1997. Its exits were mapped on the nearby difficult-to-access slopes: some were found by rising air melting snow from below, and the Vacska Cave was discovered by following a wildcat.

Rock-hard cliff chimney

On the path, we return to the P trail and tackle the steep slope on the right—not just the trail but the road is called Red. Although bloody battles took place here in the last days of World War II, the name comes from the red clay. Beautiful mixed beech roots wind through the soil, as our deep path cuts into a several-meter-thick loess cover deposited in the wind shadow. A left turn takes us onto the Z+ trail, where we enter a rich shrub-layer, impenetrable beech wind forest behind the Klastrom cliffs. On our left the vegetation suddenly opens a little, and the Z▲ trail finds its way between thin-trunked trees up to the Chimney Rock cliff. We almost storm the “limestone castle” in steps, offering marvelous views: the rock seemingly disappears on the other side and towers above Klastrompuszta streets like a vertical chimney (hence the name). A stunning, straight break marks Pilis-tető, and to the north, the side of Kétágú Mountain—almost without transition, the Pilis mountains and the Dorog Basin sharply pass their place. Gerecse region is clearly visible, and the ridges of the Buda Hills appear as well.

From caves to monastery

After the silent observation, we return to the Z+ trail and continue walking left. We arrive at the S trail on a spectacular rocky slope. With a short detour to the right, the partly underground Kapisztrán hut, offering shelter from heavy rain, can be reached. Our next destination is Klastrompuszta, which we must descend to. We descend at the narrow valley head, sprinkled with gorge elements; the loess spread on the road shows that during heavy rains, water also finds its way here at the base of the mountains besides tourists. Below the cliffs, we enter the village—the main street backdrops romantically outlined by rock formations piercing through the foliage, including the block of our earlier viewpoint. The settlement’s main point is the ruins of the former Pauline monastery, where nature and human history meet in its stones. In the 13th century, Özséb, an Esztergom canon, renounced his rank and wealth and retired into hermitage. Sitting in his Pilis cave, he had a vision, which prompted him to gather hermits enjoying the protected peace of nearby caves, and the community descended from the mountain by the spring water to build a church. Later, a monastery was also established (hence the name: Klastrompuszta), which after papal recognition became the headquarters of the only Hungarian order led by Özséb—the Paulines. It remained so until the early 14th century (when the center moved to Buda), finally devastated by the Turks in 1526. Thereafter, vegetation and settlers literally erased the ruins, and excavations only began in the 1960s.

Klastrompuszta once had a hostel for tourists, which is now non-operational. The Blue Trail (K trail) shows the way out of town; it first passes a spring house then ascends gently to the former meadow edges. Turning back, the distinct cliff of Pilis-tető appears again, and the gigantic limestone rib hiding caves of the Csévi cliffs protrudes from the forest. In the opposite direction, hills roll with Gerecse visible in the background, and the view can be enjoyed for quite a while before crossing a short forest strip. From Piliscsév’s border, the rocky outcrop of the Csévi Cave can still be spotted, and finally, with a short street walk, we reach Heroes’ Square where our route ends.