In the Csór hooks region: the gorge valleys and rocky grasslands of Palotai-Bakony

Itinerary

• We hike on the Z trail to the upper edge of Száraz-horog.
• Turning left onto the P markers, we continue through Baglyas Hill towards Inota.
• On the P▲ marker, we take a short detour to the lookout point.
• We descend to the center of Inota on the P markers.
• We walk to the bus stop along the unmarked Széchenyi street.

About the route in detail

Through the sacred gate into nature

Starting from the bus stop, we head north along the Z markers, beginning the hike on an asphalt road, but soon turning right into the hillside after passing the waterworks fenced site. The abundant karst spring once fed a lake at the border of Csór – its water has been channeled to Székesfehérvár since the mid-20th century. The stream flowing from here merges with the Séd after passing through the wetland world of Sárrét and reaches the Sárrvíz via the Malom Canal. The stream once turned the wheels of mills, some of which were used not for grinding but as fulling mills where wool from local sheep farming was processed into cloth.

We begin climbing the summit of Kilátó Hill along a path dotted with white dolomite rocks. At the top edge, surprisingly, stands a curved red gate. The "torii" gate, known as the gate of the gods, is a traditional Japanese symbol usually marking the entrance to Shinto shrines, separating the world of gods and humans. However, it can also be found not only at temples but at other sacred sites, such as the foot of certain mountains. Crossing this symbolic boundary, we leave everyday life at the foot of the Bakony behind and enter the calming, spiritual world of nature.

We walk up to the 183-meter Kilátó Hill across grassy open areas speckled with rocks and groups of black pine trees, which indeed offers a panorama of the surrounding landscape. Below, we see the houses of Csór, with Sárrét stretching behind. Ahead of us is our later destination, the treeless prominence of Baglyas Hill marked by its antenna tower. Continuing up the grassy hillside, we pass loosely planted pine groups. We cross two power lines with views of Várpalota’s buildings and the now inactive cooling towers of Inota’s thermal power plant.

Near the yard of a now abandoned small dolomite quarry, beside a concrete tank trap, we arrive, soon followed by another. These military devices indicate that we have reached the area of the MH Bakony Military Training Center. If training exercises are underway in any section, unauthorized entry is forbidden even on marked hiking trails. The access roads are guarded, and warning signs are placed. You can obtain advance information under the safety regulations and current information tabs.

The world of rocky grasslands and steppe meadows

On a wide gravel road, we climb Belátószőlő Hill belonging to Csór, passing the fences of the village’s highest farmsteads. Going even higher, the landscape magically opens up, offering a wide panorama of the karst plateau area of Eastern Bakony. Deep gorges run down from the ridges towards the mountain base. Dry valleys without permanent water flow are called hooks in this area. Unlike the typically grassy terrain, karst shrub and gorge forests embellish their bottoms and sides, as can be seen from our viewpoint on the eastern edge of the rocky gully of Száraz-horog.

The grassland dotted with only small groups of trees and bushes is a special area both geomorphologically and biologically, strengthened by the sub-Mediterranean influence. The well-fragmented dolomite, which moves on slopes, produces only shallow soil, so rock and slope grasslands cover the surface here. In the 20th century, many of these barren areas were planted with non-native—but well-adapted to the rocky soil—black pines, which is why conifers can be seen during our hike. The grasslands were also used historically as pastures, while vineyards were planted where loess or slope debris covers the mountainsides. The region’s sub-Mediterranean microclimate fosters drought-resistant, warmth- and sun-loving flora. For example, we can often see sea pinks and other waving grasses on the wind-swept fields, as well as the shrubby turkey oak. The latter is also called paróka tree due to its bushy flowers and has been used as a tanning and medicinal plant for centuries. Its leaves colors the hillsides vividly crimson in autumn. The clippers from Csór also used this plant in their work.

Hooked on the hook

The open area ends at the summit, and we continue walking along a contour path in a beautiful, groved but sometimes closing pine forest to the upper edge of Száraz-horog. The dry valley beneath, which only carries water temporarily, deepens. Our path runs along its edge, giving a superb view of the gully and its surroundings. The twisting rocky gorge road ahead is well visible, and further is the highlight of our tour, the icy summit of Baglyas Hill at 362 meters. Above the karst shrub and gorge forests, grassy turf areas broaden, while below the mountain’s skirt, a mosaic of orchards and vineyards belonging to Csór decorates the scene.

From our path, we can sometimes detour to the edge of the hook and the branching small rocky outcrops, gaining wider panoramic views. In the distance, the buildings of Várpalota and the significant cooling towers of Inota rising in the wet plains of Sárrét stand out. Be cautious and careful on the rocky and stony edges!

Soon we turn away from the rocky world and, after crossing a pine forest, reach a small clearing. Its edge is crossed by a gravel road where metal signs and a barrier draw attention to a military area. However, we do not go there, but continue along the track, making a turning curve that leads deeper into Száraz-horog. In the next section, we hike and contemplate in the gorge forest at the bottom of the hook we thoroughly examined from above. The previously mostly open terrain suddenly closes, with trees and valley slopes towering over us. In the mini canyon, a more significant soil cover can form, supporting splendid flowering ash and downy oak forest vegetation. The valley is usually dry, only carrying water in cases of extreme heavy rainfalls. We step among thick leaf litter, small and large dolomite rocks, occasionally avoiding fallen trees and broken branches. Suddenly, the trail turns right and changes to an ascent, climbing again to the hook’s edge. We reach the western edge by large rocks, then walk again on uncovered terrain with a good view of our previous positions from the opposite side and a somewhat different perspective of the whole area.

On the Bakony snowfields to Baglyas

We pass along open grassy meadows and pines on the edge, following the curve of the gorge, then reach an intersecting resting oak forest where we leave the previously followed signs and continue left on the P marked trail. The rocks gradually disappear from our side, indicating we are out of the valley. We walk in continuous forest, occasionally on the edges of fields, passing under elevated hides. Our comfortable path touches the summits of Túrő and Sár-horog as well.

The landscape soon opens again, and we arrive at an extensive grassland from which we can see to Baglyas. The grassy plateau reminiscent of Carpathian snowfields and meadows has only two forested strips along valleys descending from the ridge. We aim for the ridge, cutting across the steppe on a path with stunning views. We bypass the concrete stump of an old triangulation point on our right, soon joining a wide gravel road from which the antenna tower at the top guides us to Baglyas’s 362-meter summit as we cross from Fejér county to Veszprém.

At the top, a full panorama awaits: part of Vértes peeks beyond the depths of Móri-árok, while on the Mezőföld side, the housing estates of Székesfehérvár are visible. To the west, Fajdas and Bér hills rise, behind them, we can admire the Bakony’s prominences above Eplény, while to the north, the flatlands of Tési-fennsík close the horizon. Below lie the shut-down Inota aluminum smelter and power plant buildings, somewhat further the chimneys of the chemical plant in Pétfürdő rise into the sky, with a lake system stretched out on the edge of Sárrét visible. Beyond them somewhere in the distance, the water of Lake Balaton ripples. Next to the antenna fence, a memorial tree trunk stands, set up to commemorate the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1991. We can also see other military relics on the summit: remnants of shelters and observation posts reminding us we are in a military area.

The Várpalota shooting and training ground is part of the approximately 250 km² military Bakony Training Center. Its predecessor was founded in 1905 and has operated since then as Central Europe’s largest training ground. It does not form a continuous unit but is dispersed in several parts from around Kincsesbánya to the Tapolca area. Some parts of the area around Várpalota have become part of the Natura 2000 European ecological network due to their natural values, and since then, military use has been environmentally conscious.

Baglyas Hill’s core hides a large bunker built during the Warsaw Pact era. Officially, its corridors and rooms were carved into dolomite as shelters for the Inota ready residential area, yet it actually served as a Soviet communications center, and after the regime change, the Hungarian Defense Forces used the concealed facility for several years.

Descending to Inota

We continue from the summit descending on the P trail. Our goal is the valley bottom below, but before we descend there, it is worth a detour along the rocky ridge on the opposite side, where we get a beautiful panorama towards Tési-fennsík and also see into the large rock arena of Hideg-völgy surrounded by high walls. Starting down the gully, the landscape narrows, and we descend among the flowering ashes and downy oaks well known from the previous hook, wonderfully painted in autumn by the understory turkey oak. From the tight valley, we see the massive rocky peaks of Baglyas Hill towering above us in several places, but the trail below also winds around protruding blocks. We arrive at the periodically flowing channel of Hideg-völgyi creek with a wide left turn, continuing to walk down along it. Soon we cross the bed and take a short detour to a lookout point above the valley on the branching P▲ path to the left. The amphitheater-like basin is embraced on three sides by rocky mountains; at the exit towards Mezőföld, the cooling towers of Inota thermal power plant stand out. Below, two karst wells were built to serve people, supplying water to settlements. From here, you can excellently study the large debris cones of Baglyas Hill, fallen from the mountain’s upper regions.

After returning to the P trail, about 150 meters later, we can again detour right on an unmarked path from which we gain a fine panorama of the wooded upper section of Hideg-völgy and the prominent rock cliffs. At the mountain’s base, the path changes to a grassy road, and for a while, we walk among electric cable corridors. We reach the fields of Inota, where the mother settlement’s and Várpalota’s buildings appear, while looking back in the opposite direction, we can say farewell to the towering Baglyas Hill. After spotting the already much admired power plant’s triple towers, we step onto a gravel road and walk along it to the edge of Inota. In the part belonging to Várpalota, we continue on asphalt and walk through the streets, reaching the center from where we can stroll to the bus stop along the unmarked Széchenyi street.