Exploring the Örvényes Sanctuary Forest

• From the Örvényes railway station, walk along the hiking trail marked KL towards Pécsely.
• In Pécsely, join the St. James Pilgrimage Route.
• At Vászoly, take a detour to the St. James Spring, then continue on the St. James Way towards Örvényes.
• Below Vár Hill, turn left onto an unmarked country road, soon rejoining the St. James Way.
• Upon reaching Örvényes, follow an unmarked path from Templom Street to the Örvényes brook, then return.
• At the intersection, turn right onto the KL-marked trail to return to the starting point.

Detailed description of the tour

After disembarking at the Örvényes railway station, head north along the hiking trail marked KL. Soon cross main road 71 (if arriving by bus, the tour starts here), then walk past the cemetery and Roman-era church on a two-track gravel road, frequented by locals heading to nearby orchards. Our path skirts Öreg Hill from the southwest; the small farm buildings gradually disappear and we continue through increasingly dense acacia woodland. Occasionally we catch a view of the Örvényes valley, known for its much more natural forest — which we will explore in the second half of the tour.

After some winding, we reach a large meadow adjacent to road 7307. We walk 850 meters along this road, fortunately still quiet in summer. From this scenic tree-lined road, we first turn left, then right onto the farm access road shortly after the animal husbandry site. We pass the former Csikós Equestrian Court building, sadly witnessing the decay of the once-popular inn closed in 2017.

Less than 1 kilometer to Pécsely passes along a beautiful meadow slope, arriving at the village cemetery. In this historically rich settlement with five springs, watermills operated as early as the 13th century. In the center, we spot the classicist-style church built on a site of an Árpád-era church; here, turn left and continue the hike alongside well-maintained, stylish folk buildings.

Leaving the village, proceed along the road, then turn right onto the access road leading to vineyards. To the right stretches endless rows of vines, to the left is the Pécsely basin, all while walking on the St. James Pilgrimage Route. The pilgrimage route is infrequently signed, so use GPS and the Természetjáró app map for navigation!

Vászoly Jakabjai

We reach the only steep climb of the hike on the side of Bagó Hill, but from the hilltop, the next destination, Vászoly, is visible. The Roman-era settlement's name probably derives from Vazul, who owned land here. The village population mainly lived from winemaking and features many historic cellars and press houses. The main attractions are the St. James Spring and the pond by it. Fresh water can be drawn from the spring, an excellent spot to refill supplies as no more operating water sources are on the route later. The site offers a great resting place with an outdoor stage and a portable toilet near the spring pond.

The current springhead was built in 2008. Named after St. James the Greater, one of Jesus' apostles and the village's patron saint. The two shells on the installation refer to pilgrims: in the Middle Ages, James was often depicted with a scallop shell, which became the symbol for St. James Way (El Camino) pilgrims.

From the spring pond, follow the Vászoly brook towards Örvényes. Along this stream, fed by many springs, watermills operated for centuries; historic documents mainly mention these mills and their millers. At the late 1700s, the millers diverted the water flows into one channel and raised a dam to create a small pond, including minor springs.

The low-flow brook disappears intermittently in the village, parts are covered, and near the St. James church, a small watermill is powered — known as the Little Mill. It is worth a short detour to visit the St. James Church too, as the pilgrimage route continues southwards here. The classicist church was built in 1803, with a charming tree-lined entrance.

Extrazonal beech woods

Leaving Vászoly along the St. James Pilgrimage Route, we continue briefly on asphalt, passing the now-dry Alsó spring. The Balaton Uplands' largest beech tree has fallen and is marked with an information board and a short path for visitors. This centuries-old tree was part of an extrazonal beech forest at about 250 m elevation, with a cool, humid microclimate. This forest introduces the next thematic part of our hike — the highly valuable forests along Vászoly and Örvényes streams.

At the border of the highly protected Vár Hill hilltop, turn left onto an unmarked dirt road after the ancient beech forest. With some views and the ruins of a modest castle fortification (Nagyvár), we join back the pilgrimage path. This path winds along the southern slopes of Öreg and Vasas hills through vineyards to Örvényes. From here, there are lovely views toward Lake Balaton and well-maintained press houses to admire.

The Örvényes forests

Approaching Örvényes, we leave the vineyard zone and walk across a large meadow dotted with oak groves on the dirt road. The large oaks hint at grazing which took place 100–200 years ago. After the extrazonal beech woods, we stroll through a meadow dotted with ancient oaks but have yet to reach the Sanctuary Forest, which lies along the narrow valley of the Örvényes brook. Nearby the village boundary, follow an unmarked but well-trodden path down to the forest.

The landscape shifts abruptly from sunny oak woods to dense, shady forests rich with hop-hornbeam, downy oaks, and flowering ashes. The ancient oaks of the Örvényes old-growth forest are among the oldest trees in the Balaton Uplands found within forested areas (not parks, cemeteries). The forest is primarily described as downy oak woods with patches of flowering ash; the valley's moisture supports also hop-hornbeam. The unmarked trail leads to the brook—crossed by a small bridge—and it's worth exploring the area a bit before returning to the pilgrimage path.

Turn left near the Örvényes St. Imre Church. The late Baroque style church, built around 1783, features a stone mill game carved into one pew, recalling the old watermills along the streams. The Mill Museum next to the cemetery, if open, is recommended. The watermill there dates back to the 11th century, powered by the Örvényes brook, and is the country's oldest functioning watermill.

The loop ends at the museum corner, so now just return to the railway station or bus stop. Örvényes also has a restaurant and a small shop, perfect for replenishing sweat-exhausted salt and calories immediately.