Circling over the Pilis Sasfészek

Itinerary

• From Kétbükkfa-nyereg we start heading north on the Z+ trail.
• At a junction we turn right and follow the Z▲ trail towards the Fekete-kő.
• From Fekete-kő we descend on the right branch of the Z▲ back to Pilis-nyereg.
• From Pilis-nyereg we continue hiking on the Z trail.
• At a junction we take a detour left to the Öreg-szirt on the Z▲ trail.
• Returning, we follow the Z trail to the junction at the saddle of Kétágú-hegy.
• We turn right onto the Z◼ trail, which leads to Fekete-hegy, to the Sasfészek.
• We descend on the Z+ trail to Pilisszentlélek.
• On the main street of Pilisszentlélek we turn right and follow the P trail to a clearing.
• From the clearing we continue straight on the P+ trail.
• At another junction we keep straight and the Z trail leads back to Kétbükkfa-nyereg.

Detailed description of the hike

A good black

The highest part of the line that separates Pilis, built of sedimentary rocks, and the volcanic-origin Visegrád Mountains, is the Kétbükkfa-nyereg, the start and end point of our hike. The path now hides it, but formerly a clearing covered the pass – here stood the two old beeches that gave the place its name. As we gently climb on the Z+ trail and enter beneath the trees, this species will dominate and will remain so for nearly the entire hike. We cross a line, then shortly at a junction turn right onto the Z▲ trail, which directs us towards Fekete-kő.

The majestic atmosphere of the forest truly unfolds here: an impenetrable, old beech forest covers the plateau and its slopes; on its high canopy, only faint rays of light dare to penetrate, painting a mystically dim shadow realm on the silvery-gray trunks. Soon we reach behind the rocky ridge, where the mountain ridge ends and is connected by a narrow tongue to a dolomite ridge visible among the leaves. This majestic, slender-edged rock towers above the Pilisszentlélek basin; from its edge we can look out towards Kétágú-hegy and the Maróti hills, while behind the low ridges of the Visegrád Mountains the Börzsöny rises broadly. A winding path on the rugged rock side leads down to one of the towers. Crossing it is not without danger and is recommended only for those confident in exposed terrain. The rock's hard-to-explain name is also known in Slovak (as there have been and still live many Slovaks in the surrounding villages): Hrebeň, meaning mountain ridge. This is the wildest crest of Pilis, composed of countless towers and edges, and beneath it lies a terrifying depth. Its wild atmosphere is only softened by the never-ending noise of the twisting road below.

On the ridge of Kétágú-hegy

We return behind the ridge, this time stepping onto the right branch of the Z▲ trail. Our path winds downward through natural, seemingly undisturbed beech woods on a narrow path along a shallow ditch. The unusually lush forest does not soften as we reach Pilis-nyereg: at the flattening terrain there is a shelter from rain, fire pits, benches, and tables offering a chance to refresh. A memorial column draws attention to the bloody battles fought here in the final days of World War II.

On the far side of the saddle, our hike continues on the Z trail at the same level. We walk comfortably on a path crossing the plateau ridge, surrounded by dense beech stands. Occasional clearings cut through the green fabric, the only feature here is the atmospheric forest. The secluded mid-mountain landscape is enhanced by its solitude, as comparatively few hikers visit here compared to other parts of Pilis. A side trail leads to Sasfészek offering a shortcut, but if craving views, we stay on the Z trail for now. After passing a valley head, the plateau narrows, and we are already on the ridge of Kétágú-hegy. On the right lies young, on the left a ragged, natural state beech forest with deadwood carpets replacing the usual stands. Our track begins a gentle descent until at one point a well-marked Z▲ sign calls us to the left.

A short and gentle climb leads to the top of Öreg-szirt, where rocky grassland soil hints at the rocks hidden from our view on the steeply sloping mountainside. From the viewpoint we observe rolling hills, with Gerecse to the right and the low hills of the Buda Hills to the left. In the distance, Vértes also appears, while below the wind carries the sound of dog barking from Kesztölc. To the right, the industrial chimneys of Dorog appear, and the Danube glints as well. The Dachstein limestone block building the mountain is bordered in a straight line by a fault line along which the mountain block rose due to tectonic forces. In the displacement zone, huge, resistant limestone blocks remain. Hidden here is the small Sármány-lyuk cave (or Öreg-szirti cave) – archaeological finds uncovered inside indicate it offered shelter to early humans and hermits. Among climbers, the Öreg-szirt limestone towers are popular, and a marked ridge-edge path leads to their top, offering many views.

We walk back to the Z trail, where a steeper descent begins on the left. On a short section we descend a steep, limestone-strewn path to the base of larger rock chimneys – to the left, a short detour allows us to admire the protruding towers of Öreg-szirt. Slightly lower, at a junction, a trail branching left from the main path leads to a rock heap from which we can glance over the whole area and even the neighboring Fehér-szirt.

Up to Sasfészek

However, our route does not lead down through the small rocky gate, but bends right and heads for Fekete-hegy on the Z◼ trail. We hike on old, poor condition dozer roads, on furrowed terrain as we turn behind Kétágú-hegy. To our right, in a narrow pasture, Jurassic limestone surfaces, which is missing elsewhere in Pilis and only appears here. We climb in a nice beech forest along a deeply incised path; the cool, shady nook behind the mountain is inhabited by beech woodland. Upon reaching the saddle, young forest replaces older woods, then a bend in a logging road is followed by natural old beech forest. Here stands the Jakus tree, famous because the forest ranger it was named after was tied to this tree for days by the villagers. Two explanations are known for this act: one says they were angry with him for not overlooking wood theft, the other says they considered him a bad person. The half-dead ranger was finally found and released by a hiker. The story contains several fairy-tale elements and should not be considered fully reliable.

Soon we reach a junction from which our trail turns right onto the slope of Fekete-hegy. We climb on a tiringly steep, slippery path to the mountain ridge, where at the end of a spacious resting place stands the stylishly appearing tower of Sasfészek, radiating century-old elegance in its appearance. This name needs no explanation. The building has decorated the mountain ridge since 1933 and has served as a tourist hostel since its opening (now in the form of a key house). There is no drinking water on the mountain, so guests have to provide for themselves. Its terrace offers an excellent panorama: to the north we have a view over Esztergom, and on clear days the mountains of Slovakia line up in the distance (including e.g. Madaras or the Selmeci mountains unfolding behind Börzsöny, and in exceptional cases even the Little Carpathians appear). The building's natural stone walls are adorned with numerous memorial plaques, including that of poet József Berda, for whom it was a favorite hiking place and after whom the house is named.

The Pilis Postman's Calvary

As interesting as the mountain ridge is, the path leading down is equally spectacular. We start down the Z+ trail, with the house behind us (to the left) heading towards Pilisszentlélek. Robust, moss-covered limestone rocks speckle the mountainside, which our trail slopes down but crosses transversely. The steepness is indicated by the name of the northern slope, Háromszázgarádics, which means three hundred steps in an ancient form – before us only a few wooden steps mark the way. The route is called Postás út (Postman's road) on maps, because tradition says the mailman from Kesztölc took this path to Pilisszentlélek when delivering mail. Further down we step onto a dozer road, then shortly leave it to the left and cross a road at a resting place. We walk through dark, closed beech forest parallel to the asphalt, then the trail takes a sudden left turn and heads straight to the village.

Life in Pilis

Under gardens, arriving at the square next to a pub, we reach the village of about 300 inhabitants, Pilisszentlélek, nestled between steep slopes – on its main street we turn right following the P trail. Directly opposite, the steep crest of Fekete-kő immediately draws attention, but in other directions you cannot see out from the valley basin. Its history is typical of our mountain villages. It began as a royal hunting estate, then in the 13th century was donated to the Pauline order, who built a monastery on the slope. After the Battle of Mohács, they abandoned it, and the village was destroyed during the Turkish period. In the early 18th century a glassworks started operation here, later lime burning by Slovak settlers from around Nyitra became the main income: they supplied one of the building materials for construction works in Esztergom. The former Hutaszentlélek is still imbued with a secluded mountain atmosphere – probably why filmmakers chose it as a filming location for the popular TV series Mi kis falunk in the late 2010s. (You can get a glimpse of former lifestyles in the Slovak folk house, which is worth including for enriching the hiking experience.)

At the upper end of the village, we climb right continuing into the forest. We reach a junction in hornbeam-beech woods, from which a short detour to the left leads only to the Saint Ladislaus spring, or Kálmán-kút, a well-located rest area (on the P● trail). The karst water bursting from moss-covered natural stone walls sometimes gathers in small pools. We return to the P trail, which turns left and leads to a meadow – it's worth looking up, as Fekete-kő dominates the view, rising fearsomely as a rock chimney from the breaking away mountainside.

At the end of the clearing tourist trails branch off. Here we choose the straight direction, and thus the P+ trail. Our path follows electric lines and the nursery area, forcing a moderately steep ascent. At another junction, we keep straight and continue ascending on the Z trail. We cross the main road and enter dense beech forest, arriving back at Kétbükkfa-nyereg, where the hike ends.