Following the swinging stones of Pákozd

Itinerary:

• We start from Pákozd main road on Templom street next to the Cultural House, crossing the Bella Creek to the right.
• We pass by Bella Lake, following the Z+ marking.
• At a junction, we turn right onto the Z marking.
• After the Kocka rock, we continue on the S▲ marking.
• At a junction, the S marking joins from the left, we continue right on the S marking.
• At the settlement boundary, the S joins the P+ marking; from here, follow the latter to the end of the circular route.

Detailed description of the route:

Up to the barren peak

Our circular route starts in Pákozd opposite Heroes’ Square, between the belfry and the Cultural House. Immediately after the Cultural House, we turn right onto a barren grassy area and cross a small bridge over Bella Creek. On Ady Endre street, charming garden houses line the right side, while the creek borders the left side. After the last house, the street turns right, but we turn left towards a wildflower meadow.

A small group of oak trees marks the direction, then we arrive at the former Bella Baths, now called Bella Lake. Metal stairs left by the artificial lake hint at its former use; today, we can enjoy the lakeside surrounded by shade-giving trees. Although the area is already pleasant, there are plans to improve the lakeside with promenades, an open-air stage, and barbecue areas to accommodate visitors.

We follow the Z+ marking past the lake but only until Rákóczi Ferenc street crosses our path from Pákozd. Here, pay attention, as we immediately turn right off the road onto a narrow path, where we see the Z marking painted on a tree. We continue uphill on a cart road, then the path runs alongside a wire fence. We reach the desolate, barren plateau of Sár Hill, dotted here and there with rosehip and blackberry bushes. At a junction, we turn right – there is no marking here because there was no suitable surface for a sign on the grassy-shrubby plateau. Later we find the Z stripe again, but it is not a big problem if we go straight since that path also leads to the rocking stones. We come to another trail junction where the P+ marking joins from the right; this is useful to note because it is a perfect shortcut to shorten the circular route.

Stone upon stone

We turn left; from here, we can already see the small hill where, as a warm-up, we can climb the first larger pile of stones hidden among dense bushes. Looking back from the top, behind the shrubs and the pine trees bordering the forest edge, we can glimpse the water surface of Lake Velence. We continue to the next hill; in dry weather, the path is quite dusty, and in the middle on a relatively large stone, we can see that the Z and P+ markings run parallel here. On the prominence, the highest point of our hike (241 m), we find the first named rock formation, the Pogány rock. Here, we can examine the typical formation of the rocking stones: the rounded granite stones look as if they were randomly piled on each other and only by chance are they balanced not to move. This is not the case, though; the Pogány rock can be carefully climbed. Once on top, a panorama opens up: we overlook the rolling plateau of Sár Hill, Lake Velence, and part of the Velence Hills, including the highest point crowned with a radio tower, Meleg Hill. The Pogány rock is not only a geological curiosity but also a social memorial: graffiti in Cyrillic testify to times when the area was used by Soviet soldiers as a shooting range.

We continue, and about fifty meters later, we turn right onto a narrower path following the Z marking. Along the way, surrounded by bushes, stands the majestic Lion rock. From certain angles, the arrangement of three or four smaller stones does resemble a lion, though one might not immediately think of it independently. Continuing a bit further, we arrive at a trail junction where we see perhaps the best-known piece of the Pákozd rocking stones, the Kocka (Cube). We do not need to think about the name’s origin now; it is obvious: above two lower rock pieces stands a granite block resembling a cube balancing on its edge, seemingly defying gravity. Circling the fascinating formation, it looks a bit different from every side. At Kocka, we change markings and turn right onto the S▲. We descend a few hundred meters through shrubs on a narrowing path, then suddenly we see in the valley hillside the largest rocking stone formation, the Pandúr rock. It is worth exploring the huge, impressive stone piles partly hidden by trees and climbing on small protrusions to enjoy the view of the forest-covered hills and valleys below. Caution is advised, as some stones are very high, and the smooth, rounded forms offer little to grip.

Valley descent

Our path continues along the side of a massive rock, look for the S▲ marking painted on a tree. Here awaits a rather unpleasant but fortunately short section: a steep, rocky, gravelly, slippery path leads down to the valley bottom. We continue through a shady forest of mixed oak and hornbeam; here, we first meet the green oak leaf marking of the Granite Geological Trail established in 1994. According to descriptions, this marking runs all through the rocking stones, but as of autumn 2018, the markings are quite incomplete; do not look for them on the summit stones. Four hundred meters after the junction, follow the S marking that goes straight, slightly to the right.

Almost one kilometer later, the trail makes a loop detour – it is worth following if you find the sometimes shy markings. The detour is not more than four hundred meters but leads on a very pleasant route to the rock called Little shoe. Before returning to the S marking, we also pass through a charming small pine forest.

We walk a little on a wide dirt road again, then turn off onto the path marked by the green oak leaf, which soon meets the P+ marking leading from the Sár Hill plateau. (This is the connecting path on which you can shorten your circular route.) Cutting through soft grass carpet, we approach the settlement; Lake Velence appears on the horizon of the sloping street. Stylishly, we walk down Ingókő street to the main road, where turning right we arrive after six hundred meters back at our starting point, Heroes’ Square.