Beautiful view: The little-known Budai Yellow

Itinerary

• From the Nagykovácsi, Községháza bus stop (line 63), set off along Antónia Street on the Z trail towards Zsíros Hill.
• At the border of Nagykovácsi, at the Antónia ditch, we intersect the S marked path and turn right onto it.
• We follow the S trail to Budaörs, where upon reaching Huszonnégyökrös Hill, we take a short detour on the S▲ trail to the hilltop, then return to the S trail to reach the former Csíki inn at Szabadság Street.
• The S trail ends here, but if you are not tired, it’s definitely worth crossing the road to another S▲ trail which leads up to the Törökugrató. The round-trip is just over one kilometer extra and worthwhile, as from the top of Törökugrató, you can look back at the trail you’ve just followed.
• The route concludes by returning to Szabadság Street, from where you can take bus 757 or 758 at the Budaörs, Csíki-csárda stop to return home.

Detailed description of the route

First part: From Nagykovácsi to Hűvösvölgy

In Nagykovácsi there is a bus stop and nearby parking. From the bus stop, along Antónia Street, about 1.6 km along the Budai Green Z trail, you reach the S trail, which you will follow for about 30 km. Not far from the junction of the two tourist trails is a public facility called the Muflon watering place, where you can stop before the hike to gather some energy. At the bottom of a long forest slope, you reach the southern tip of Solymár, cross the least attractive part of the route along Hidegkúti Road, and arrive at the most beautiful section: the Alsó-Jegenye valley.

The valley can be confidently called a canyon valley in several places, winding along the Paprikás stream. Here flows (if not frozen) the 5-meter-high Jegenye Valley waterfall, and from here also springs the Rózsika spring.

The Rózsika spring was first marked in the first half of the 20th century, the current spring enclosure with a statue was inaugurated in 2002. Due to previous pollution of the catchment area, the water is not drinkable. It was named after a woman worker who often took poorer children on outings.

At the end of the valley, the Yellow trail takes a sharp turn to the southeast and passes by the Kálvária Hill, Szarvas Hill, and the side of Tök Hill to the Kötők bench. This resting place was originally established by members of the knitwear tourist section. Crossing the Virágos saddle, we climb the 448-meter-high Újlaki Hill, offering a beautiful view in almost all directions. Then we descend a steep, rocky slope and pass by Vadaskerti Hill (371 m) and Nyéki Hill (334 m) before reaching Hűvösvölgy.

Nyék was a medieval village in today's Lipótmező area. The foundations of its former church were excavated by archaeologist Sándor Garády near the ruins of King Matthias's Nyék hunting castle. The hill was named after the village. Most of King Matthias's hunting grounds were here, in the area still called Vadaskert today. It was surrounded by a wall built of natural stone, traces of which can be followed for 1940 meters.

The second part: From Hűvösvölgy to Törökugrató

This is the first part of the tour. The continuation also starts from Hűvösvölgy. Continuing on the S trail, before Nagy-Hárs Hill, you can detour to the interesting lookout on Kis-Hárs Hill, originally designed by Imre Makovecz from railway sleepers. We pass the entrance to the Bátori cave alongside a small wooden bridge.

The cave is named after László Bátori, a Pauline monk who lived here as a hermit for 20 years in the mid-15th century and wrote Hungarian language explanations of the Bible. (Some sources say he was the first to translate the Bible into Hungarian.) At the top of Nagy-Hárs Hill, 454 meters high, stands the Kaán Károly lookout. Named after a forest engineer, he was responsible for reorganizing forest management in Hungary, the afforestation program of the Great Hungarian Plain, and the establishment of modern state nature conservation.

From here, a pleasant slope leads down to Szépjuhászné, located at the highest point of Budakeszi Road, in the Budakeszi Valley pass between János Hill and Nagy-Hárs Hill, at 350 meters elevation. (Between 1945 and 1992 it was called Ságvári-liget.) Legend has it that King Matthias met a beautiful shepherdess here. (Khmmm, khmmm, the rest is left to the fog of oblivion...) From the mid-18th century, János Pavianovics operated the Szép Juhászné guesthouse, named after the shepherdess.

From Szépjuhászné we head along the slopes of János Hill and Meredek-csúcs to Csacsi meadow. About one and a half kilometers further, the path passes under Magas-kő, a forested elevation. Since 2010, it is notable for the Memorial Post of Deceased Tourists, located in a former quarry here.

The tourist path then passes near the inhabited area of Nagyszénásug and reaches one of the most beautiful points of the hike, Sorrento Rocks. According to the Budai Hills hiking guide, the name was given by tourists. Due to its scenic beauty and other pleasant characteristics, it was named after the famous Italian spa town.

Sorrento now belongs to the Budaörs Csiki Hills area. From here, our route basically continues along the ridge of the Csiki Hills to the westernmost peak, Huszonnégyökrös Hill. The S trail does not take you all the way to the beautiful viewpoint peak; you have to walk about two hundred meters further on the S▲ trail to reach the panorama point. It is worth it!

The origin of the name Huszonnégyökrös Hill (288 m) is explained by Gusztáv Thirring with two traditions: one says that the Turks hauled their cannons up here with 24 oxen, the other concerns a fat butcher who bet he could run from the base to the top of the hill in running steps, using 24 oxen. Allegedly, he succeeded but it cost him his life: he collapsed dead at the top. (Budai Hills hiking guide)

From here, a small descent brings us to the end of the S trail, at the former Csíki inn. Csik village was an early Árpád-era settlement and one of the wine-producing villages around Buda along the Budakeszi ditch. Similar to neighboring Örshöz, the inhabitants mainly engaged in agricultural production. After the Battle of Mohács, Csik village was also destroyed and by 1546 was referred to only as a wasteland. In the 18th century, the area was the Zichy family's farmstead. The famous "Csiki Csárda" inn, named after the settlement, served travelers’ comfort on the main road to Vienna until 1945 - according to the website of the nearby archaeological park and yurt camping.

If you are tired, you could end the hike here. But if you are already here, it is worth continuing from Csiki Csárda on the other side of Szabadság Street via the S▲ trail to Törökugrató. From its peak you can see the Csiki Hills, Budaörs, and the southern parts of Budapest.

Legends of Törökugrató: 1. During the recapture of Buda Castle, the Hungarians chased a fleeing Turkish troop up the hill. The Turkish horsemen thought they could escape by galloping to the peak, but not knowing the steep rocky northern side, they all jumped down to their deaths. 2. Upon the capture of Buda Castle, a Turkish commander jumped down to avoid being hanged. (Révai Great Lexicon, 1912)

After returning from the hill, you can start home with the good feeling that you did not miss anything on this long but undeservedly overlooked hiking trail around the capital.