From Őrimagyarósd to the Szőce fen

Itinerary

• We walk from the Őrimagyarósd bus stop to the castle hill, where we join the Malomgát nature trail marked PT, and continue along it all the way to Vadása Lake, which we start to circle counterclockwise following the Z↺ sign.
• At the southwestern tip of the lake, we turn left onto the S sign and stay on it until the green cyclist (Zoo) sign, which we follow right.
• From the entrance of the peat moss fen to the House of the Fens, we walk on the Szőce fen nature trail marked PT.
• From the House of the Fens in Szőce, we again follow the green cyclist (Zoo) sign uphill to the bus stop.

More about the hike

Historical memories on the castle hill

Our hike starts from the defining settlement of Őrség, Őrimagyarósd's historical site, the so-called “castle hill.” We reach it by walking a few meters southeast from the bus stop along Petőfi Sándor Street and then turning left. At the highest point of the village stood a noble manor, also serving as a fortress, built around 1590 by the Darabos family of Magyarósd. The fortress was protected by a double moat system, traces of which can still be found. A bastion was erected on the northern wall, and a reinforced gate was on the western side. The Magyarósd castle, defended by about twenty hajdú soldiers equipped with harquebus and messenger mortars recruited from the area, was integrated into the border castle system after the loss of Kanizsa Castle (1600). In the first half of the 17th century, Darabos Gáspár, the landlord of the village, was also the castle captain, who referred to the castle as the “Magyarósd petty collection fortress.” The fortress could serve its defensive role until the Turkish campaign of 1664, when it was destroyed. Today, it is accessible through a Székely gate and serves as a historical landmark equipped with a memorial plaque and rest area.

Written sources recognize Őrimagyarósd as a very significant settlement in the Őrség region, as the nature of the border guard status is first known from the privilege charter of the “monorosdi” guards. In 1270, King Stephen V issued a document defining the rights and duties of the former border guards.

On the Malomgát nature trail

From the bottom of the castle hill, we proceed towards Vadása Lake along the Malomgát nature trail marked PT by the Magyarósd Creek. The trail was named after a dam associated with the water mills that used to operate on the creek. On the way, from April onwards, we can see protected early marsh orchids. This strikingly beautiful orchid species has purple, sometimes lilac or pink loosely arranged inflorescences, violet-colored, darkly spotted, three-lobed lips with a fringed central honey mark attracting attention. In alder groves and moist deciduous forests along the creek valley, the small white-bar butterfly can easily be noticed. This butterfly species, basically black with some brownish markings, is made very decorative by dagger-shaped cells in the forewing, middle transverse band, and a larger row of white spots on the hind wing.

Around the creek and lake, common and alpine crested newts find suitable habitats. The crested newt, active from spring to autumn, hides in the litter layer, among tree roots and cracks with the onset of cold. It feeds loves snails and insects and, owing to its aquatic lifestyle, also eats tadpoles and fish larvae. Interestingly, it hides its eggs individually in aquatic plants. The newly hatched larva has limbs but is clumsy with large gills and leaves water only after developing limbs and reducing its gills. It is named after the male's spring nuptial robe with a serrated back fin 5–6 cm high extending from back to tail. The male is dark brown on the upper side with large, round, black spots, mostly repeated on the orange-colored lower body. The female is slightly larger, reaching 18 cm in length, but has no crest. Alpine crested newts can be distinguished from common ones by males' dark brown dorsum with green tint and black spots. The dorsal crest is strongly notched up to the junction of body and tail; further on the tail, it is smooth-edged. Despite lack of a crest on females, an orange-red stripe runs along the spine.

Continuing along the nature trail, bypassing the fore-reservoir, we reach the former pioneer camp buildings and then pass by the football field to the holiday houses, where we turn onto the Z↺ sign. The lakeside zone offers opportunities to rest and taste local dishes.

Along the “wild-dug” lake

Near Vadása Lake, swordtail butterflies belonging to the family Papilionidae can frequently be seen chasing each other. Their host plants are various apple and pear species, hawthorn, bird cherry, and sloe. They owe their popularity to their splendid appearance, yellowish wings with black stripes, and long, tapered tails at their hind wings. They can be easily confused with similarly colored swallowtail butterflies. Their flight is strong and soaring, and they are often seen sucking nectar using their coiled proboscis. Near the lake, we can also find the Austrian gentian with golden yellow petals, protected as it blooms in summer with cluster inflorescences.

The romantically named Vadása Lake gets its name from “wild dug” fox burrows found throughout the surrounding forests. Its water is fed by twelve springs along the Vadása Creek. From the southern side of the lake, we continue our journey along the S sign to the Szőce peat moss fen. We climb up past the beach through the forest and take a short, romantic detour to the boardwalk installed to explore the legend of the “wild dug.” After completing the short loop, we mostly hike in the forest environment along the S mark. At the football field in Szőce, we find a covered resting place.

Along the route, we can spot the “chicken crazier” white hellebore. Its folk name refers to the poisonous veratrin extracted from its rootstock, which former angry neighbors sometimes used to poison each other’s poultry. This plant, belonging to the lily family, often reaches one meter in height with white or yellowish panicle inflorescences and can be observed around the fen and lower pastures.

Boardwalk hike on the peat moss fen

Approaching the fen, the S sign turns left and joins the green cyclist (Zoo) sign. We follow the latter briefly to the right. At the clearing maintained by the Őrség National Park Directorate, we can rest before stepping onto the built boardwalk of the peat moss fen nature trail marked PT. The valley’s special microclimate, which can cause surprisingly low summer night temperatures, the centuries-old cold-water springs running into the valley, and the special hydrogeological conditions have contributed to the survival of many Ice Age relict species at the valley bottom. The fen springs were formerly called “bugyomány,” and the fen itself was named Szélesvízi-rét, reflecting its extent. Its conservation was supported by the traditional peasant farming wisdom of locals. The fen was mowed twice a year and occasionally grazed. The peat moss called golden moss was used as cattle bedding.

The characteristic of fens is that much of the organic matter formed here remains underwater and undecomposed, thus peat formation occurs. The fen’s acidic water preserves plants' and animals' remains for a long time. The peat layer varies in thickness from 20 cm up to 2 meters. Fens develop where water remains near the surface continuously with only slight fluctuations. The springs around are typically mineral-poor.

For science, this area was discovered by Tamás Pócs and his colleagues in the 1950s and ’60s. Today, walking on the boardwalk and guided by the nature trail signs, we can learn about fen values, notably the protected peat moss species named in its title. Among the protected Ice Age relict species is the intriguingly named carnivorous round-leaved sundew. This small plant with spinning inflorescences has rounded, tiny leaves covered with reddish glandular hairs coated in sticky sugary substance that attracts insects. After trapping them, enzymes break the prey down, supplying nitrates missing from the peat soil. Another Ice Age relict species to mention is the cranberry, a loose cluster, purple inflorescence plant that can grow up to 40 cm with a reddish hue.

In the “ex lege” protected area, the water-loving, three-leaved, white-flowered, fringed petal otter grass is not only charming but also has medicinal qualities. Its leaves were harvested as ingredients for stomach bitters and aperitif liqueurs. In 1995, Konrád Lajer discovered one of Hungary’s rarest plants, northern sedge, on the Szélesvízi-rét, listed in the Red Book as directly endangered. The fen is home to species-forming plants like blue moor grass, hair grass, and food plants of butterfly species such as the autumn gentian.

Besides botanical values, the fen is also zoologically significant. The Szőce Creek is home to numerous protected freshwater crayfish, rare today because the species only survives in clean, fresh waters. Various dragonfly and butterfly species can be observed on the meadows near the creek.

At the boardwalk end, we cross the Szőce Creek and, overcoming the challenges of the riverbank, reach the House of the Fens. Here, besides studying the open-air classroom’s educational panels, we can rest and eat packed meals in a covered shelter. A high-quality exhibition awaits visitors at the visitor center. The trail offers an experiential way to learn about fen research’s history, the nature and formation of fens, their fauna, flora, and the human impact on habitats. From here, heading south, we again follow the green cyclist (Zoo) sign and continue on Kölcsey Ferenc Street to the bus stop, concluding the hike.

Among Szőce’s values

If inclined, it’s worth wandering a bit in the village. Szőce was first mentioned in the 11th century concerning German-Roman Emperor Henry III’s 1051 campaign in Hungary. The so-called “Roman road,” the Borostyánkő Road, and the former Italy-connecting “King’s Road,” called “Kerál Road” by locals, passed by its border. Legend has it that King Béla IV fled the Tatars along this route to Dalmatia, Trau Castle. The village’s coat of arms faithfully preserves this famous episode, with the king on horseback as the heraldic main figure. The coat of arms also features two green hills and peat moss known locally as gold moss.

In the Middle Ages, the village belonged to the Nádasd clan for long. A landmark of the settlement is the church dedicated to Saint Andrew, which shows Romanesque features such as a three-quarter round-ended window dating to the 12th century. The Gothic renovations carried out during King Matthias’s reign by Miklós Szelczey, Vice Count of Vas County, are evidenced by the octagonal closed and pointed vault sanctuary and characteristic buttresses.

Besides the municipal building, the village treasures a historic blacksmith’s workshop preserving original items from the furnace, bellows, to period tools.