Beautiful view: The 500-meter-high hills of Margaret Bridge

Itinerary:

• Leave Szentendre from the S marked trail starting at the Ösvény Street bus terminus
• About one and a half kilometers after the start, turn left on the trail to reach the cliffs of Asztal-kő
• From Asztal-kő, the S marked path leads to the top of Nyerges Hill, then down to Álló-rét
• From here, follow the Z marked trail to Teknős-hát
• On the way back, follow the same Z marked hiking trail to Kis-Bükk-tető, then continue on the S marked trail to Vörös-kő
• From Vörös-kő, continue along the S trail back to the starting point

Detailed description of the route:

Starting from Pismány, you quickly reach the first exciting point: after a 400-meter forest walk, turn left off the S marked path and reach Asztal-kő (420 m). This name usually refers to a flat-topped but well-prominent rock with a good view. The rocky peak itself is among trees, but immediately after it, a panoramic cliff path runs along the western ridges of the hill, making it clear that even coming this far was worth it.

Directly ahead is the valley of the Sztaravoda stream (Ókúti-völgy), and beyond the valley, the peaks of the Visegrád Mountains extend. From the start of the trail, you first see the peaks rising to the northwest, beginning with Berseg, Málnás Hill, and further out, Szent László Hill, Prédikálószék, and Dobogó-kő come into view.

The Sztaravoda stream valley

The original Serbian name of the stream is "sztaroga," likely referring to the old age of their patriarch Arzén Csernojevics. The old patriarch allegedly often visited the cold spring, thus the name evolved into "sztara voda," literally meaning Old Water. Accordingly, Hungarians referred to it as Old Water or Old Stream, also as Ókút (Old Well). The geographical name of the valley is Ókúti Valley.

As we move up along the ridge, the view opens southwest: in the distance is Pilis Peak, below is Bölcső Hill above Lajos Spring, Nagy-Kevély, the Buda Hills, and finally, we catch sight of the strip of the Danube. The M0 bridge, Újpest railway bridge, and distant landmarks such as Buda Castle, the Parliament, and Gellért Hill are clearly visible. The Margaret Bridge should also be visible, but in the slightly hazy weather, I can only guess where it is. After a few hundred meters of cliff walking, a forest path leads back to the S marked trail. You could turn back here, but how much better would the view be from the Nyerges Hill, 100 meters higher?

A narrow one-kilometer climb reveals that the southern slope of Nyerges Hill was logged long ago, allowing an unobstructed view of downtown Budapest from the top. The cleared area is now mostly shrubbery but probably not vandalism, as according to the forest map, Nyerges slope is a reforestation-obliged nature reserve under Natura 2000 protection. The area is also fenced off. Nonetheless, the view of the capital is even better than from Asztal-kő, and in the distance, I distinctly recognize the lower arches of the Margaret Bridge. If I had binoculars, I could now watch the 4-6 tram passengers staring out the window.

Nyerges Hill...

...is named after its saddle-like structure (a saddle connecting two humps). It was formerly called Hortobágy, which is quite interesting considering that everyone associates Hortobágy with a flat plain. Although there is a geographical explanation that the name could come from the German words hart (forest) and bach (stream), this could still work. Nearby, the original name is still preserved at Kis-Hortoba (420 m).

You might think this is the highlight of the route. But no. Continuing on the S trail, you descend a very steep slope to Álló-rét in the valley bottom, then proceed on a gentler climb along Berseg Hill's side. The top of Berseg Hill is heavily wooded with no hunting paths leading up. Additionally, I couldn’t find any information about the origin of its name, so we simply ignore it.

Leaving the S trail, on the Z trail you reach your third peak over 500 meters, Kis-Bükk-tető. The peak is essentially a forest-covered ridge with no view, so you can continue without stopping to the hunting trail leading to Teknős-hát, starting from the Z trail. At the beginning of the trail, one already gets a feeling that something very interesting lies ahead.

Teknős-hát is a 560-meter high, forest-surrounded, somewhat isolated, vast, grassy forest clearing hidden from tourists. Its freshly blossoming meadows full of flowers invite anyone to lie down, relax, and rest. If the sun shines nicely, this point is like a huge natural power bank.

Well-maintained clearings like this do not form accidentally in mountain forests. On one of Teknős-hát’s heights, hidden among trees, stands a hunting blind with an excellent view of the summit. During hunting season, at dawn or evening, I wouldn’t get close to avoid being mistaken for a wild boar and getting a shot.

Vörös-kő

After the Teknős-hát ascent, an optional destination on the return is the approximately one-kilometer-long loop of Vörös-kő, which can be approached from Kis-Bükk-tető via the S marked trail. After Prédikálószék, Vörös-kő likely offers the second most beautiful Danube panorama in the Visegrád Mountains. From here, you can see the Szentendre Island fully, the double arc of the Danube before Naszály, the bigger elevations of Cserhát, and in the distance, Mátra and Karancs.

On the Vörös-kő (521 m) summit stands a stone monument, somewhat battered by the times. The monument was erected in 1946 by the Nature Lovers’ Hiking Association in honor of the liberation of the forests, as a significant part of Pilis was private land between the wars. (Not far from here, winding up from Álló-rét, which we passed, was the private road of Governor Miklós Horthy to the Pap-réti hunting lodge; along this road is still Horthy's garage built of wood for his car.) At the time, casual tourists and hikers were not welcome guests. This situation ended after World War II. The monument was labeled communist after the regime change, the inscription was removed, and most recently, a large metal cross was fixed on the top as a kind of final functional change.

From Vörös-kő, the well-known S marked hiking trail leads back to the starting point. The steepness of Nyerges Hill can be avoided via a forest road along the hill’s side, but those in good shape may choose to climb it again before descending back to Pismány.

I still owe an explanation regarding the strange name of the Szentendre district: obviously, it has nothing to do with "yellow"; rather, the name probably relates to the Turkic languages’ piš-/biš words, meaning fruit harvesting, which is unsurprising as Pismány was once the city's orchard.