Barrier-free experience tour in Balatonfűzfő

Itinerary:

• Starting from the parking lot, cross the tracks and turn right onto the bike path.
• After the harbor, sharply turn left at the outdoor gym to the lakeside promenade.
• At the cyclist rest area, take a detour to the pier leading out from the reeds.
• Continue on the bike path to Tobruki beach.
• After the railway crossing, turn right onto Kazinczy Street.
• About 1 km later, turn right again, cross the tracks, and return to the point on the bike path where we started.
• Continue in the opposite direction parallel to the tracks, then make a loop towards the shore at the station.
• Returning to the road, turn left and return to the starting point.

Description of the route:

Not far from the Balatonfűzfő train station, opposite the bike pass, we find the parking lot in front of the Post Office, from where our route describing a double loop starts. We cross the main road and the tracks at the railway crossing opposite the parking lot. A barrier guards the busy railway track, and we cross carefully at the classic pedestrian crossing with a turning gate. This is the few meters of the most urban section of our tour, after which the atmosphere suddenly changes after the first right turn.

We reach a wide path reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, running along the reed-filled bay of the northeastern tip of Balaton. The shaded road is lined with old aspens, alders, and poplars typical of the Balaton region. From the sounds, birds and aquatic creatures already appear, and during dawn and dusk in season, a chorus of frogs accompanies our journey, as we pass by on the right the unauthorized closed small artificial bay of the Fűzfő sailing and yacht club.

Soon we reach the junction that is the starting and ending point of the first larger loop. Where on the right we see a playful wave track (pump track) designed for bicycles and other rolling hobby devices, we follow the bike path turning left, which broadly and clearly leads us into the “jungle.” Approximately here begins the truly natural section of our tour. Our path is no longer bordered by fences, the warm yellowish tones of the reeds gently mix with the many shades of the water-close “primeval forest” green and the gray tree stumps rising to the sky. All crowned by the playfully blue-white clouds of the Balaton sky. Many native birds live here; this dry, inaccessible mixed forest on foot is home to white-tailed eagles, herons, egrets, owls, lapwings, crows, and carrion crows. The bike path winds invitingly, and we glide undisturbed on the gray path retreating further and further from built-up areas. After a long straight, a large, clearly visible curve and on the left the density of the reeds signal that we are now traveling directly on a course parallel to the Balaton shore.

The excellent quality bike path built in 2016 suddenly ends in an interestingly shaped, stylish shelter made of poles, with benches and street furniture, a rest area. We have already covered a quarter of our tour here, a good place to eat sandwiches and drink brought with us. This neat little area is also the starting point of a long pier extending into Balaton, which we should definitely not miss as it is one of the highlights of our tour visually.

The wooden boardwalk is surrounded on both sides by dense reeds, over which you can see the seemingly endless water of the lake. From the scattered trees and aquatic life of several hectares of forest, it is no longer unimaginable that the golden jackal, once thought extinct here, has returned. At the end of the pier awaits a magnificent view, benches, and a spacious jetty; only the small white sails betray the dimensions. Returning to the bike path from the pier, we continue our tour in a similar environment, bordered rather by marshy forests than reeds. Following a longer straight, we take a sharp left turn following the railway track. After another atmospheric straight part, we cross a canal filled with boats and smaller sailboats on a steel bridge. With this, we have practically explored the bay of Balaton's “corner.”

After the bridge, we arrive at Tobruki beach named after the Balatonfűzfő district. This is the only short, hundred-meter section of our tour without asphalt, but the cemented, compacted gravel is not a barrier for wheelchair visitors. The beach invites us with its charming wooden buffets where we can also get restaurant services suitable for our budget, and last but not least, we find a barrier-free restroom. Of course, the water of Balaton is no small temptation, so with swimming, our 2-3 hour tour can be extended to a full-day program during the season.

Crossing perpendicularly through the beach parking lot, carefully crossing the train tracks, we turn right onto Kazinczy Ferenc Street. We are in a typical Balaton holiday area with older holiday homes, a street lined with willow trees, and the train tracks separated by a green strip. We cover about one km on this quiet street, then after another right turn, we cross the tracks again. On a straight, narrow asphalt sidewalk, accompanied by dense vegetation on both sides, we proceed towards the junction closing the large loop. This lakeside environment, destroyed in many places elsewhere, is unique even compared to Hungary's natural endowments. Returning to the pump track, we reach the railway track parallel to the main road on the introductory section of our tour.

Those still physically able, have an alternative “small loop” to discover another face of Balatonfűzfő. The bike path runs on the right side of the tracks towards the train station, so this detour is particularly suitable for those arriving by train. This section of the tour leads along a quite different, better developed Balaton shore with newly built houses lining the immaculate bike path.

The wide, comfortable road turns right at the train station to joyfully wind along the former wooded-shrubby jungle decorated with summer and willow trees on the waterfront. There is a fear that this kilometer-long shoreline section may become an idealized park forest shoreline strip for ultra-modern holiday homes of wealthy citizens in the future. In front of the dense, still existing reeds, the masts of million-dollar yachts already rise, undoubtedly offering an impressive sight for visitors.

Next to the harbor, we come out onto a wider bike path bordered by the railway tracks, from where those arriving by car can cycle straight back to the parking lot, while train travelers approach the station by crossing the tracks.