In the embrace of Vértes steppe meadows

Itinerary:

• We start from front of Csákberény Catholic Church following the Z+ mark, which we follow for almost the entire route
• On two short sections on Kopasz Hill, you need to switch to the alternative Z▲ mark. The path reconnects to the Z+ mark both times

Description:

Deep in the gorge

Our starting point is Csákberény, a charming village embraced by the dolomite cliffs and comb-like ridges of the Vértes. The uniqueness of the place is already evident upon arrival, as next to the village sign we spot a metro train emerging from the ground. Although there is no metro, an industrial railway ran alongside the village from the bauxite mines of Gánt to the main line at Mór during the heyday of mining in the mid-20th century. Its coat of arms features the region's three important "products": lowland grain, vineyards on the hillsides, and leaves of mountain oak forests, showing the presence of all three characteristic Vértes landscapes here.

Csákberény is officially not part of the Mór wine region, and the neighbouring bauxite deposits lie outside its borders, but its natural environment is unique. The dolomite block of Vértes splits into numerous ridges and gorges that descend into the village basin, providing easy access to this unique landscape. There is also an educational trail leading to the middle Varga Hill and below it the Pénzverő Valley from the local hunting and forestry museum, but we will embark on our exploration along the Köves Valley, which penetrates deepest into the area.

From the Roman Catholic Church, we leave the village northward following the Z+ mark, with a gentle ascent. Crossing a mixed forest of pine and oak, we arrive at the foot of the Strázsa Hill in the Köves Valley, known locally as Ugró Valley. The name is apt for both the rocky, stone-lined valley floor and the barren hill above, as during the Ottoman occupation a Turkish garrison guarding the now deserted village kept watch here over the southeastern foreland of the Vértes, along the road connecting Buda and Fehérvár.

As we proceed uphill in the valley, our view increasingly closes in along with the rocky surrounding hillsides. For the first couple of hundred meters, we travel on a wide valley bottom meadow, soon entering a mixed oak forest where beeches also appear in the shade of the increasingly near, steep slopes. Above the rocks, small clearings in the sparse karst scrub woods bask in the sun. This distinctive Vértes landscape's sub-Mediterranean climate provides habitat to unique plants in Hungary that require both sunny warm rocks and the humid microclimate from the gorge forest. Regarding animals, among herbivores only the mouflon prefers the steep rocky hillsides, claiming the privilege of grazing the meadows above the edges. With some luck, we may hear the bleating of herds of mountain sheep and the sound of rolling stones caused by their movement, and even glimpse the group leaders, rams with curled horns.

Ascending in the winding upper valley, we penetrate deeper into the mountain range and beech forest becomes dominant between the closing hillsides. Above the dark forest, the rocks become increasingly mossy, higher, and more textured. The dolomite, which forms the main mass of the mountain, approaches within arm's reach, allowing better observation. This frequent carbonate form minimal in solubility compared to limestone but much more brittle, resulting in a fractured surface. Accordingly, dissolution of the rocks is slight; freeze-thaw action further fractures weaker parts. This creates shallow cavities along softer, fractured layers, some large enough to reach cave proportions.

The cavities serve as shelter for mouflons living on the rocky surface and, in remote undisturbed places, for wildcats. This shy native nocturnal predator rarely comes within sight since all its senses are significantly more refined than humans', trying to avoid us where possible. Exceptional luck is needed to spot it, but we can discover its wide paw prints in mud or snow since it also comes down to the valley bottom to drink and, of course, hunts in the meadows. It often mates with domestic cats venturing out from the village, usually to the detriment of bold suitors.

Home of wild boars and deer in the spacious plateau forests

At the last section, branching left from the main branch called Szappanos Valley at a clearing, we climb up the Kis-Nyirjes Valley to the Vértes plateau. The steep hillside accompanying our path now lies beneath our feet. Although softened somewhat by valley erosion, after a short ascent we emerge from the cut and proceed through increasingly gentle, undulating terrain. In the continuous forest, beeches disappear and oaks characteristic of the low plateau become dominant.

The low solubility of dolomite prevents formation of limestone plateau typical sinkholes here. Rainwater slowly percolates through the soil, sometimes forming larger puddles temporarily holding water. Wild boars fond of acorns bathe deeper and deeper in these. On the puddle edges, rounded, threadlike footprints are left by wallowing boars. Another characteristic red deer, also fond of acorns, can often be seen and heard around September here. Animals usually resting in bushes during the day gather at the clearing edges in early autumn driven by hormonally controlled mating desires, challenging rivals and attracting females. At this time, males care less about humans, focused only on dominance, giving opportunities to spot or hear them. Absence of large predators means they face no natural enemies; the newly appearing marsh wolf, or golden jackal, prefers lower areas and is not dangerous to adult deer.

We continue a pleasant walk on the almost flat Z+ marked path, first on a long straight clearing, then turning into a congenial beech-oak forest towards the Felső-Cservágás junction, where forestry and marked tourist trails approach from all directions. We could detour towards Csókakő, surprisingly close now, but we stay on the Z+ mark, which turns with a small bend back towards Csákberény. We pass a half-buried and collapsed Maurer hut built anew in 2024, named after a former forester, always open, with an earth floor where 2-3 people can sleep overnight, equipped with an outside bench and table, ideal as a daytime resting place.

We walk pleasantly southwards towards the plateau edge. Near Felső-Cservágás, the temporarily accompanying K▲ mark turns right towards Csókakő, while the Z mark turns left to the Gémförtés Valley. We, however, stay on the Z+ mark reaching the increasingly shrubby and brighter narrowing plateau edge.

On the plateau edge steppe meadows

Descending the gentle slope at the Pap Clearing, in shrub forest dotted with grassy clearings, we branch right from the Z+ mark onto the Z▲ mark leading out to the wide steppe meadow of Kopasz Hill. From the rounded open hillside, we reach the narrowing edge of the plateau with a widening panorama. Before us lies the Móri-ditch, the southern foreland of Vértes, and the flat Fehérvári Basin. The plateau edge undulates long northwestwards, typical for Vértes with its rocky ridges and rhythmically patterned forested cuttings between them. At the hillside bottom, vineyards and cropland spread skirt-like, waving to the horizon over sandy, loess hills.

At the end of the ice ages, the dolomite block of Vértes acted as a windbreak breaking the momentum of northern winds, thus fine sediments from melting Scandinavian ice sheets accumulated in wind-shadowed areas, creating ideal slopes for vineyards. In the compact loess deposits, colorful bee-eater nests several meters deep, protected from predators, are found in the steep walls formed by landslides and incised gullies. This vividly colored bird resembling tropical species often visits the plateau edge meadows for its favourite food, dragonflies. Known colloquially as the 'piripóke', it can be recognized by its imitative gurgling call as it maneuvered above the meadows in the Vértes winds, collecting insects flying near the ground.

The best viewpoint is reached by a hiking trail that gently traverses the edge at the upper base of descending ridges. Lacking signposts, we follow the path pressed into the grass. Descending, we see notably bare, nibbled trunks of solitary trees and dense, knotted groups of bushes typical of savannahs. The bare trees are victims of winter and spring browsing by herbivores here, mainly the less selective mouflons.

The path sharply cuts into the steep drop at a ridge, then side-steps the rubble slope, finally climbing up to the rocky viewpoint of the neighbouring ridge. The exciting, winding path leads back to the forested hilltop where we briefly join the Z+ mark before once again branching out onto the plateau edge on the Z▲ mark at a difficult-to-notice fork. It is best to instinctively stay on the well-worn track, which meanders but finally leads down through the groved hillside.

The last section returns to the Z+ mark, which after the Piroska memorial column turns onto the paved Ezerjó wine road, entering Csákberény along a charming chestnut avenue. At the village edge in a park decorated with a small pond, we join the Z mark, which leads back to our starting point, the Catholic church in the village centre. If time and energy remain, you can explore the Z mark in the opposite direction ascending towards the hill: a small detour at the end of István Street takes you to the Gróf Merán Fülöp Hunting and Forestry Museum, where you can gain insight into forest communities and the work of specialists dealing with them.