Keszthely – Vállus (OKT 11th day hike)

We start our hike at Keszthely bus and train station, finding the stamp next to the toilets, attached to the wall. Parallel to the tracks, we follow the K stamp sign towards the K marking, leading us to the Helikon Park.

Keszthely, known as the "capital of Balaton," has a history closely linked to the Festetics family, who were the town's lords for about 200 years – during the most defining period of Keszthely's long history. Even before the Romans, crossing the marshy bays of Lake Balaton was an important factor in the area, initially managed by Fenékpuszta. This role was gradually taken over by Keszthely, which from the 7th century onwards played a central role. Continuous development truly began in the 18th and 19th centuries with the appearance of the Festetics.

That was when the castle was built, along with a hospital, a gymnasium, and even Europe's first agricultural college, the Georgikon, was founded. They also supported the construction of the branch railway line extending from Budapest–Fiume to Keszthely and later to Tapolca. Keszthely also had a vibrant cultural life: György Festetics organized the Helikon festivals, literary events of the time, between 1817 and 1819, with participants planting trees in the area now known as Helikon Park to commemorate the occasion.

The Blue Trail joins under the avenue of plane trees in the park, and we begin to follow it directionally. After leaving the iconic socio-modern building of Hotel Helikon, another 2 km of asphalt walk awaits along the Keszthely–Tapolca railway line, opened in 1903. There is heavy traffic during morning and evening rush hours, no pavement, so caution is advised.

We leave the last houses of Keszthely and arrive in Gyenesdiás. We ride on the cycle path past the former sports ground of Gyenesdiás Kinizsi SK (ceased in 2025), in front of which stands a statue of Gyula Grosics. At the intersection with Avar Leader Street – surprisingly – stands a statue of an Avar leader, commemorating an Avar settlement there from the 6th to 8th centuries.

After crossing the busy road 71, more sights and statues greet us, offering insight into the further history of Gyenesdiás. These are mostly made of wood, reflecting the strong tradition of woodcarving in this forest-edge settlement. To the left, at the edge of the roundabout under a shelter, there is a press over 100 years old, referring to the once prosperous viticulture and winemaking in the area. A short detour on the K+ mark leads to a sculpture group commemorating the Árpád-era settlement and church of Falud; a bit further on, another sculpture group depicts local occupations, including a hiker couple, and animals. Nearby, on a playground, nicely carved benches with animal and fairy tale themes can be found, thanks to local craftsmen.

We pass the Kerámiaház, evoking folk architecture typical of the Balaton coast, then the Gyenesdiás cemetery. The two former independent settlements, Gyenes and Diás, show their "youth" most noticeably in their churches, built in the 19th century, with styles differing from the usual rural Hungarian Baroque, and their sizes recalling more a hillside vineyard chapel – which they were. The church on our route was built by Gyenes vineyard residents, then still part of Keszthely, with permission from László Festetics, dedicated to Saint Helena in 1826, because of the count's daughter.

We pass former dolomite quarries planted with black pines. Extraction of the main rock of the Keszthely Mountains began even before World War II and continued until 1976 here, but there are still active mines along the Keszthely–Várvölgy road. The abandoned quarry faces were rehabilitated by planting black pine forests; their steep cliff walls still reveal the tilted dolomite layers, easily observable on the nearly vertical rock faces.

The K markings lead to the popular Nagy-mező recreational area, but before reaching it, the left-branching K▲ marking leads through Varsás Hill to the Festetics lookout tower, offering a beautiful panorama. From there, one can reach the well-equipped rest area with benches and tables, campfires, playground, parking, toilets, and an outdoor stage.

After Nagy-mező, we start the forest section of the hike. We cross the ridge of Nyilas Forest where the 'S' markings tempt us to the Berzsenyi lookout tower on Pető Hill, then descend via a narrow path into the Büdös-kúti valley. We touch the shelter of the Hatlábú barn, which has a human head carved into one of its walls – a greeting from Gyenesdiás. On the opposite side of the path, an impressive large stump of a tree broken at waist height rises to the sky, with the inscription "Ferencz József fája" on a nearly vanished and crumbling kopjafa. Here stood Hungary's largest beech tree with a 50m crown diameter under which Emperor Franz Joseph once had lunch on a hunting trip.

Abandoned meadows and forest paths alternate; as we advance into the valley, it deepens, with beech trees creating a stand in the cool. On the left side of our path, a particularly large specimen is marked with an old, greyed-out K mark. The ditch splits in two: the right branch marked with 'P' goes to the Büdös-kúti rest house, while the left branch marked K climbs out of the valley, leading onto the long straight path of Iván Ridge after a short asphalt section. We leave fallow fields, cross a ditch, and soon arrive at the southern border of Vállus.

The K▲ markings on the asphalt road connecting Vállus with Balatongyörök lead up to the Láz-tető lookout tower. It is worth taking the detour: from the 16 m high tower, panoramic views open towards the Keszthely Mountains, the Marcal region, and the southern slopes of Bakonyalja, and through the low saddle of the vineyard hill near Lesencefalu, one can also glimpse the Tapolca basin. North of the lookout, the Z▲ marking descends to the stamp place in Vállus but along a steep, crumbly mountainside – so the K▲ marking is recommended even on the return to avoid bypassing the village itself.

The small village lies in the northern-exposed, trough-shaped valley of the Keszthely Mountains – its name stems from this form – with a single street stretching along the valley of the Csetényi stream. This has only been the case since the 18th century when the Festetics invited German settlers to repopulate the abandoned village located at today's Pusztatemető. Vállus is a dead-end village, quiet due to the lack of through traffic, but its public transport service is rather sparse.

We pass a sparsely open store and then the late Baroque church built in 1836. After the bus turn, we exit the village at the cemetery, where we also find the stamp.