Circular hike along the Slovenian settlements of Hungary into the heart of Vendvidék

Itinerary:

• We follow the P◼ trail along the Grojka stream for a little over one kilometer, where we join the P trail to the right.
• After one kilometer on the ridge, we leave the P trail and switch to an unmarked forestry road leading to the asphalt road at Kétvölgy.
• From Kétvölgy, on the P trail, we first take a short detour up to the Katalin Hill to the Bűricza lookout, then continue westward off-road to Ritkaháza.
• From Ritkaháza, we go through Alsószölnök on the P+ trail, then return to Szakonyfalu on the Z trail.
• We reach the bus stop via the P◼ trail.

Detailed description of the route

Walk to the western point

We start from the center of Szakonyfalu on the P◼ trail in the Grojka stream valley, surrounded by woods. Most of the valley is a strictly protected natural area. The source region of the stream includes the forest reserve near Kétvölgy, the mixed Pap forest, and the former forest of the Cistercian order of Szentgotthárd. Even today in Szakonyfalu, the Slovene dialect of Hungary, the Vend, can be heard, because the Rába valley Slovenes established the village in the 14th century. Its church was built with support from villagers who emigrated to America.

Turning left at the church, we leave the village along a cart track leading through valley fields and hillside woods, penetrating into the hills. The first couple of kilometers are helped by forest educational trail signs that introduce the flora of the marshy and hay meadows between the wooded hills. It is worthwhile to look more closely at the marshy meadows and hayfields: depending on the season, orchids and other spectacular flowers can be discovered in the dense vegetation.

Just over a kilometer later, we subtly branch off from the Grojka stream into a side valley, where we switch to the P trail. At the edge of the wide meadow at the valley mouth stands a whitewashed forester's lodge, next to which a resting place in the shade of old trees offers a spot to catch your breath. Directly beside the lodge is a wooden pole surrounded by pines with a brass plate depicting Hungary and the main cardinal points. This spot was designated during the communist years as the westernmost point of Hungary accessible to mortal tourists. South and west of there, Kétvölgy and Felsőszölnök were dangerously close to the border, and only locals were allowed access.

Through the heart of the Vendvidék, to Kétvölgy

We continue our exploration of the border regions in this then forbidden direction. At the far edge of the meadow ends the comfortable walk through the valley floor, and the ascent begins suddenly with steepness in the forest. Despite the low hills, the valleys cutting into the sediment form steep surfaces in Vendvidék. The road cuts and some areas in the forest reveal the gravelly fluvial sediment that forms the surrounding hills. This clayey, gravelly sediment was transported here by rivers from the shaping eastern foothills of the Alps, once higher terrain.

Fortunately, we soon reach the hilltop and continue winding on the ridge along a forestry road through continuous woods with minimal elevation changes. The Szakony forest typical for the region has a mixed tree composition dominated by oak and beech, but it also has significant stands of spruce and fir. The latter was frequently planted in the last century for its fast growth and straight trunk, but changing climate and droughts are weakening the pine forests, which are devastated by bark beetles and wood-boring insects.

Alongside centuries-old beech trees, the P trail turns right onto a side ridge, but since this would add unnecessary elevation to our hike, we continue straight on the ridge forestry road for a few hundred meters without trail markings. Soon we reach the Kétvölgy country road, the winding asphalt strip connecting the scattered houses of the settlement. At a wide hilltop meadow, we enter the village, but initially only pass distant houses. The village core is denser with buildings on the hilltop before us. Passing the town hall and a few tidy homesteads, we soon leave the small village and turn toward the highest ridge above the settlement, the Bűricza lookout, along a cart track.

The tower was built with great sensitivity in the 2010s. If we arrive on a clear day with luck, the view of the Alps from the panorama level is breathtaking. Under the impressive alpine ranges, the wooded ridges of Burgenland and Vas county stretch humbly. The more prominent mountains and cities’ directions and locations are also indicated in the lookout for precise orientation.

Return towards Alsószölnök and Szakonyfalu

Descending back to the edge of the village, we turn onto the P trail at the last houses. Passing a cross, we leave the houses of the Permise settlement part and descend to the source region of the Szakonyfalu stream. Upon reaching the wet path made more accessible with planks and beams, we understand the local settlement habits. The valleys here are wide, covered by swampy brushwoods, where nature did not allow conquest. We cross the nascent creek in the last meters of the swamp environment, then cross a lightly trafficked road and climb toward the other side of Kétvölgy, to Ritkarovci, Hungarianized as Ritkaháza.

Almost immediately, we arrive at the bell tower, which has an interesting story. The village judge planned to erect the bell here in the valley, next to his property, between the two parts of the settlement. One night the locals stole the bell and rang it on the hilltop. The whole village was covered by the bell’s sound, and it was heard in three surrounding villages, so the massive timber-framed structure was finally placed there.

On the other side of the hill, we descend to the road leading to Felsőszölnök and into Slovenia, but we head down north on the P+ trail. The road winding through groups of houses finally descends into the valley of the Szakonyfalu stream, but turning onto a gravel road, we immediately climb back to the ridge opposite. From there, we pass through unmarked oak, beech, and coniferous forests along a disused cart track, descending only beside Alsószölnök back to the neighboring Szölnöki stream valley. We arrive in the village across meadows, where we can finish the hike in the center marked by the church, pub, and bus stop, but we can also walk a short two-kilometer section back to Szakonyfalu on foot. For this, after the church, we turn up the hill above the village on the Z trail, then leaving the settlement among vineyards, we navigate again through forestry roads to Szakonyfalu. Winding among meadows, groves, and planted forests, we soon cross into the neighboring settlement’s border. Descending into the valley of the Szakonyfalu stream, we arrive at the settlement, closing our loop on the P◼ trail.