Gánt – Várgesztes (National Blue Trail Day 24 Tour)

Gánt is only just touched by the National Blue Trail; arriving by public transport or car, we need to walk a few streets along the hiking trail marked K◼ to connect with the K markings. It is worth getting off the bus at the Községháza stop because one of the Gánt stamps can be found here, inside the electricity meter cabinet of the Gránás tourist house. The other stamp is on the wall of the house next to the entrance of the Vértes inn.

Today, Gánt is a relatively isolated village, but it was not always so quiet: in 1920, mining engineer Jenő Balás discovered bauxite on its southern border, and by the next decade, the largest bauxite extraction in Europe was operating here. The mines operated until 1987; today, on one of the workings, among red “color walls”, a nature trail, adit, and former mining equipment provide insight into the past. The exhibition site takes 1-2 hours to visit and can be reached from the National Blue Trail in about 45 minutes.

At the Mary chapel, turn right onto the National Blue Trail. For the first few kilometers, we walk almost straight north on a dirt road between bypassed pastures. This used to be the route of a horse-drawn logging railway – on the southern slopes of the Vértes, several short-lived narrow-gauge railway lines penetrated this area in the first half of the 20th century. Loaded trains were pulled uphill and descended by gravity.

Cattle graze to the right in the hilly, turf-mowed area. Soon, we reach the junction with the S marked hiking trail, after which the pastures disappear and we enter a spacious, varied forest, decorated with some larger pines along the path.

The forest road continues through denser, darker woods, with some elevation gain, but the slopes of the Pap valley are gentle, so we comfortably climb from Gánt at 250 meters to 400 meters. After the peak, there is a descent, quickly dropping back to 328 meters where we find the Mindszentpuszta fork. Here we must turn left since the National Blue Trail stamp is on the fence next to the gate of the Mindszentpuszta guesthouse. Mindszentpuszta, as its name suggests, is a long-inhabited forest settlement – until the 1960s, it housed forest workers. From the 1970s, its buildings operated as corporate guesthouses, only one remained in this function for longer, but it will no longer operate from 2025.

After a half-kilometer detour, we return to the National Blue Trail route and continue northeast towards Kőhányás.

Mindszentpuszta – Kőhányás

For a while, we continue walking mainly through dense beech forest on paths in varied conditions, from broad forestry tracks to narrow trails nearly impassable, passing a larger meadow. Along the way, motifs typical for the Vértes region appear, carved into beech trunks like the miraculous stag or the Hungarian crown and coat of arms – these can be seen until around Várgesztes. (The most famous is the Rockenbauer Pál portrait under Vitány Castle, which has grown into a small shrine of the National Blue Trail in recent decades.)

In a cozy, enclosed valley on the right side is Oroszlánkő, reachable by a short detour, i.e., the Csáki Castle ruins. The fortress now only exists in wall remains; it was built in the second half of the 14th century by Csák, grandson of leader Szabolcs, to protect the road leading towards Csákvár. The name Oroszlánkő refers to the lion, the heraldic animal of the Csáks. Its destruction was caused by the Turkish invasion in 1543.

For the next 3.5 kilometers, we walk in the changing forest of Vértes, then arrive at the end of a marked slope in a large valley splitting the mountain range northwest-southeast, at Kőhányáspuszta. First, we pass beside wooden huts, then by the Count Esterházy Móric Ecotourism Center and Hostel, before the charming late 19th-century baroque building of St. Teresa's chapel draws our attention. The National Blue Trail stamp is found on a wooden post at the edge of the meadow next to the chapel. Both the tourist center and the chapel bear the Esterházy name, as the road crossing the Vértes valley connected two important Esterházy centers, Majk and Csákvár. (Roman artifacts prove that earlier the road between Brigetio (Szőny) and Floriana (Csákvár) ran through the valley.)

The tourist center was opened in summer 2021, featuring a reception on the lower floor and a hostel on the upper floor; its restaurant offers traditional Swabian cuisine, for which it is advisable to check opening hours in advance.

Kőhányás – Várgesztes

From Kőhányás, we continue north on the path beside the main road. Information boards describe the local lime burning industry history; we pass the ruins or site of an old kiln, then must cross the road. The valley bottom that splits the Vértes is at 300 meters, surrounded by steep cliffs of 350-400 meters high mountains – the trench reflects structural movements. The National Blue Trail spares hikers from climbing walls, leading over the Német valley between Eperjes Hill and Kis-Eperjes, through beautiful wind-blown beech woods to the plateau. At the junction with the path marked K+, there is a small rest area with benches and tables.

After 2 kilometers, we begin descending a steep valley towards Várgesztes, finally arriving below Űző Hill at the foot of Gesztes Castle. Our picturesque route is adorned with new wooden-carved artworks; in the corner below the castle are two detour options.

The first requires climbing left up to the Lourdes cave. This shrine barely dates back a hundred years: in 1921, a statue of the Virgin Mary was placed in a small cave on Mészáros Hill. It was desecrated in the 1950s but renovated in 2002 by a local couple who cleared the area, built stairs, and placed a statue of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes in the rock cave. The short detour involves some elevation gain but offers a bench at the top for rest.

With more elevation gain, one can visit the KL marked trail to the Gesztes Castle. Its history intertwines with hiking: in the 1930s a refuge was created in it, and in the 1960s one of the castle towers was converted into a hostel. Due to prolonged renovations, the entire building is currently closed; the castle, built in the 14th century and once defending the road to Csákvár, was occupied by Turks and freed in 1683. Following permission from the Esterházys, locals distributed the building materials, which were used, for example, to build the monastery's hermitage at Majk. In its current condition, the castle may not be worth the detour, but after reopening, it will be an interesting sight with beautiful views from the castle wall.

One of the National Blue Trail's Gártesztes stamps is located in the area below the castle near the stairs to Lourdes cave; the other is on the wall of the village grocery shop. Near here is also the bus stop from where one can return home.