Gaja Gorge circuit with Bodajk extras

Itinerary:

• From Bodajk we start on the K route through the former ski slope to the northern end of the Gaja Gorge, then to the Trout Lake.
• From the lake, we return on the K+ route for a short section on the right bank of the stream, then climb up to the rim to the Alba Regia Spring.
• From the spring we start back to Bodajk on the P route, then switching to the P+ signs, we arrive at the village center via the Calvary.

About the hike in detail:

Starting from the Móri Valley

We begin at Bodajk's transportation hub from Táncsics Mihály street, where the National Blue Trail route also crosses the town and the Móri Valley. The settlement has been inhabited since the age of the Hungarian conquest but, like the whole area, was depopulated during the Turkish occupation; at the beginning of the 18th century, Hungarian, Slovak and German settlers arrived. Due to its favorable location, it became a market town and still holds city status. In the 19th century, it became a popular bathing place thanks to the warm water springing in the center, believed to have healing power. The magnesium-rich, above-average temperature spring water flows into an atmospheric pool overgrown with aquatic plants, warmed further by the sun.

On Dózsa György street, we leave the town on the K sign southwest, climbing through a rudimentary old ski slope clearing on the hillside above Bodajk. Historically, the settlement belonged under the jurisdiction of Csókakő Castle for a long time. From the hill above the town, the situation becomes clear, as the white rocks of Csókakő and the whitewashed castle perched on them brightly shine on the other side of the Móri Valley. The neighboring settlement already belongs to Vértes, but the military road running along the tectonic trench is the most obvious natural connection between the interior of the Carpathian Basin and the upper flow of the Danube, which determined the region’s history.

At the edge of Bakony

The clearing of the former ski slope narrows as we approach the top of the hill. At the edge of the forest by an old oak tree, we arrive at the eastern edge of Bakony. From here, we proceed through varied forests almost until the end of our hike, consisting mainly of mixed deciduous young forests, although in some places we encounter quite natural conditions in a terrain heavily reshaped by humans. The clearing continuing the ski slope divides the forest into two parts, followed by the hiking trail.

With a right-angle turn, we leave this route, but if we continued straight, we would reach the Károlyi lookout, which offers the best view of the gorge and the rolling forests above it. If you have the energy, it’s worth including this short detour, but if not, the next section will still touch several natural viewpoints. The hiking trail comes increasingly close to the edge of the gorge, and from the grassy edge and the thinning forest at the rocky cliff, we look into the densely forested gorge of Gaja winding southeast. It is interesting why the stream broke through between the mountains and why it did not continue its flow toward the Móri Valley to reach the local low point near Bodajk. The course of the Gaja Gorge runs parallel to the tectonic depression of the Móri Valley, presumably the same forces opened the gorge before the stream, which the river water merely deepened further.

On the rocky rim of the gorge, the hiking trail traverses down to the valley floor, where we arrive at Varjúvár. At the entrance of the gorge, the guesthouse takes its name from the castle that once stood on the hillside, but the naming fortress and the underlying rock were mined away, leaving only fragments of the former trenches.

At the Gaja stream

Reaching the valley floor, the K sign sharply turns back along the flow direction. We stroll down on a wide hiking trail along the stream bank in an atmospheric forest with the sluggishly murmur water. Nowadays, the stream has swollen back in several places and hardly represents the natural erosive force breaking through the gorges. However, as the main watercourse of the Eastern Bakony, it has a significant yield relative to its forest environment and is certainly an atmospheric element of the landscape. We walk down in the shady forest of the gorge's bottom alongside information boards placed by the forest manager telling about the surrounding area.

At the first bend, the valley side becomes rocky. At the information board presenting the gorge's geology and caves, a well-trodden path leads toward the rocks. Here we can examine the steep limestone walls and the layered rock surface revealed naturally. Many also look for the Sobri Jóska cave here, which indeed opens at the top of the rock, but we can only approach the rock cavity on sloping benches if we head a few tens of meters back into the valley up the hillside instead of at the board. The path to the cave is barely visible and very dangerous! On the rocky terrain, it is easy to slip back, so only those who can safely move on exposed, steep terrain dare take the adventure. It is no coincidence that Sobri Jóska, the famous bandit of Bakony, is said to have hidden here. The cave’s protection, flat bottom, the nearby stream, and Balinka have created real bandit comfort for outlaws living in the forest.

From here, the valley playfully meanders between steep rocky ridges. The shady forest accompanies the stream all along, whose wide banks supported by old trees create a true idyll. Behind a rocky protrusion we arrive at a small meadow where once stood the Adam-Eve tree. Nowadays, only the fallen, dried trunk of the Adam tree offers an excellent playground for children hiking in the gorge. From the meadow, a small valley rises to the left up the hillside, which we will continue on, but first, it is worth accompanying the Gaja a bit lower. With a bridge, the hiking trail crosses to the other side where we reach a beautiful meadow bordered by old trees. At the edge of the clearing stands an artificial, charming lake and the central building of the Gaja Valley Nature Center, where we can eat, drink, get information, but mostly enjoy the idyllic atmosphere provided by the forest clearing.

Climbing back to Bodajk

If we have recharged and rested, we walk back to the Adam-Eve tree, which we can also reach on the right bank of the stream following the K+ signs, as we will follow this marking. The hiking trail leaving the Gaja stream winds up in a winding, alley-like valley. The weak-flowing small stream springs from a nicely renovated spring, renamed Alba Regia Spring from the former Haja or Borjú well. At the reliable, cool spring, we can also refresh ourselves. From here, we continue on the plateau almost without ascent.

From the spring, the P sign leads back to Bodajk through younger and shrubby clearings, then riding the last small ridge, the settlement appears again before us. At the first houses, the P sign branches off toward the edge of the inhabited area, but we continue straight switching to the P+ signs, gently bypassing the rocky block of Kesellő Hill toward the Calvary.

The Calvary crossroads offers a great panorama of the landscape. Around us, the plain of Móri Valley surrounds the town in 180 degrees. A defining element is the western slope of Vértes on the other side of the trench with the newly built Csókakő Castle. The descending cross-road along the station line leads from the hill down toward the church tower at our elevation. At the church, we return to the village center, where a restaurant, small shop, spa bath, or bus stop await us.