Bakonybél circular walk

Itinerary

• Starting at the Szent Mauríciusz Monastery, head south on the hiking trail marked with S which we follow until the Szent-kút.
• At the Szent-kút walk around the lake and the Calvary on the unmarked path.
• At the spring of Szent-kút, turn right onto the P+ marked trail, which we also follow right to the Csúcs-hegy junction.
• On the Csúcs-hegy, turn left onto the Z marked hiking trail, which we follow all the way to the Száraz-Gerence bridge.
• After the Száraz-Gerence bridge, turn left onto the K marked hiking trail, which we follow until the far side of the next bridge.
• After the second Száraz-Gerence bridge, turn left onto the unmarked trail, which we follow passing the Erzsébet lookout to Bakonybél.
• Upon reaching Bakonybél, turn right onto Köveshegy Street.
• Earlier, reaching the hiking trail marked Z◼ and K◼, following it straight will bring us back to the starting point.

Detailed description of the hike

The Szent Mauríciusz Monastery

We start our hike from Bakonybél's most famous building complex, the Szent Mauríciusz Monastery. The village’s Benedictine monastery was founded in 1018 by King Stephen and was an important center of early Hungarian Christianity. Many hermits lived in the narrow valleys and caves of the Bakony, and the order was named after their patron saint, Saint Mauricius. The monastery flourished during the reign of the Árpád dynasty kings but monks had to leave during the Turkish occupation, returning at the end of the 17th century. Its new golden age followed in the first half of the 19th century. The monastery was beautifully renovated by its millennial anniversary in 2019, featuring an exhibition on monastic life where you can also learn about Bakonybél’s two famous saints, Saint Günther and Saint Gellért.

From the monastery, head south on the S marked hiking trail to reach another place of worship on the outskirts of Bakonybél. We walk on streets until the last few hundred meters, where the path is gravelled.

Borostyán-kút (Szent-kút)

An atmospheric park awaits alongside the path: a charming small chapel stands by the picturesque pond, formed by damming the water of the Szent-kút. It is a perfect place for quiet reflection, the peace and calm is captivating. It’s worth walking around the lake and following the Calvary behind the 1824 chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, now located in the forest. Previously, a rock fissure gaped at the final stop, but it was sealed off and a Lourdes Mary statue erected. According to legend, monks used to live as hermits in this fissure.

Legends say that Saint Günther, a famous resident of the Bakonybél monastery, lived as a hermit near the Borostyán-kút (Szent-kút), and a chapel was later built nearby. Another famous visitor of the monastery, Saint Gellért, also stayed here willingly. A statue by Opra Szabó István in Zirc immortalizes Gellért at the lake shore in the company of a young deer. According to legend, Saint Gellért once woke in the forest next to a deer and its fawn when another deer chased by a wolf burst out of the trees. The deer fled frightened, leaving its fawn with Gellért, who adopted the animal. Later, a wounded wolf awaited Gellért before his home. After attending to its wound, the wolf became friends with the hermit.

Along the pastures to the summit of Csúcs-hegy

After visiting the pilgrimage site, continue east on the P+ marked hiking trail. We finally enter the forest, although some pastures appear intermittently on the left side, and later the path runs along the border of the pasture and forest, gradually ascending. Above the pastures, a beautiful panorama unfolds: below are the houses of Bakonybél, behind them the Öreg-Bakony hills, including the highest, the 709-meter Kőris-hegy, which can be easily identified by the air traffic control radar on its top. We are only climbing a smaller hill: the rise called Csúcs-hegy is only 380 meters above sea level. The summit is unmarked; we know we have arrived because we need to turn left at a right angle heading back toward Bakonybél. From here, follow the Z marked trail.

Across the Száraz-Gerence

The hiking trail leads to the outskirts of Bakonybél, where we step onto the public road. We have to walk along the roadside for about one kilometer; we urge everyone to be cautious, although traffic is light. We reach the foot of Köves-hegy, which we will circumvent from the back. To do this, turn right at the Z mark off the road, passing through the forestry area—signs at the gate indicate pedestrians and cyclists may freely use the yard. We enter a dense, atmospheric forest (unfortunately only for a short section), and soon exit onto the forestry road leading to Kőris-hegy. When we step onto the asphalt road, we have already crossed the Száraz-Gerence, unnoticed—the temporary stream is indeed dry.

We continue on the forestry road following the K marked trail. A road joins from the right, and after some curves, we cross over the Száraz-Gerence brook via a bridge.

The Erzsébet lookout

A part of our hike includes visiting the Erzsébet lookout, a small structure built on the side of Köves-hegy rising above Bakonybél. The lookout is reachable by an unmarked trail, where we can first discover an unconstructed viewpoint. The view of Bakonybél from here is at a slightly different angle; the few-meter detour is worth taking.

The Erzsébet lookout is 400 meters ahead. The lookout itself is a wooden terrace, needing no more, offering a perfect panorama of the village and surrounding hills. Legend says it's worth whispering a wish here as it might come true.

Continuing on the trail, shortly we reach the outskirts of Bakonybél. After curving around the TV tower, we return to the main road. Turning right here, we walk through the village, guided back to the starting point by the soon-to-join Z◼ and K◼ marked trails.