Magyarkút small circuit via Verőce

Itinerary

• From Csattogó Valley, follow the Gyöngyök útja marking and walk east to the P sign!

• Turn onto the P marking and follow it north along Les Valley all the way to Magyarkút.

• After crossing the bridge over the Gimpli stream, turn right at the K ◼ marking, which we follow to Irma Spring and the inn called Kocsma a pipáshoz!
• From Irma Spring, walk back on the Main Road along the K ◼ marking, then switch to the P ◼ marking on the left! Follow this past Gonzaga Saint Aloysius chapel, then from Magyarkút outward on the asphalt road up to the top of Aranyoskút.
• At the upper section of Aranyoskút, at Kilátó Street, it is worth making a short detour to the viewpoint located on top of the rocks on the left.
• We continue our way again on the P ◼ marking.
• On the P▲ marking we can make another detour to the former observation terrace of Borbély Hill on the right, but unfortunately, we can’t see anything from there anymore because it is overgrown with vegetation.
• Continue the walk downhill again on the P▲ marking and you will arrive in Verőce.
• Turn right onto Bereg Street and walk to the P marking!

• Turn right on the P marking and soon you will return to where Gyöngyök útja forks to the left. From there, you can return to Csattogó Valley.

Detailed description

The substantial part of the hike starts on the P marking winding along Les Valley, walking north from Verőce. It is also suitable for cycling, following a stony dirt road accompanied by barking dogs and passing scattered weekend houses in various conditions. Along the way, on the right you can spot the pyramid-shaped Borbély Hill, which we will climb near the end of our trip, although to an observation terrace from which unfortunately nothing can be seen nowadays. If you visit in summer, you pass through a yellow-flowering sea of goldenrod—this invasive species is also cultivated as an ornamental plant but, since it requires no care, it has spread as a weed in many places. It is also known as a medicinal plant, with anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects among others.

We soon reach the charmingly atmospheric Magyarkút, administratively part of Verőce, initially touching only the western side of the settlement. We cross a bridge over the witty-named Gimpli stream, then turn right following the K ◼ marking. Follow it along Dalos Street, then the Main Road to Irma Spring, the namesake of the area, crowned by the imposing, drinkable water source Magyar-kút right next to it. Beside it is the Kocsma a pipáshoz, which is basically a simple but friendly inn with a garden where it’s worth sitting down for a drink, enjoying the quiet surroundings under the umbrellas.

From Irma Spring to Aranyoskút

From Irma Spring, return along the K ◼ marking on the Main Road to where the P ◼ marking forks left, leading us onto Orgonás Road. This marking will accompany us for a long time. In the large bend, on the right side stands the Gonzaga Saint Aloysius tourist chapel, consecrated in 1933 and built by the MÁV Gépgyári Sportkör Tourist Class. The hussar-towered building was designed next to the remains of an Árpád-era church, and a mass is held there once a year on June 15.

After this, we have to endure the dullest part of our hike: we must walk uphill on the asphalt road next to Papsom-ditch to another holiday area of Verőce, Aranyoskút. Meanwhile, we gradually overcome about 100 meters of elevation before turning sharply right near the top of the settlement still following the P ◼ marking. It is worth stopping on the climb and looking back boldly to spot the increasingly distant peak of Csóványos.

Magnificent panorama of the Danube Bend

After the sharp turn, we finally get rid of the asphalt and walk on a charming small street among weekend houses. Keep watch, because shortly after a left turn there will be a sign for the Aranyoskút viewpoint, which the marking does not lead to; only Kilátó Street goes there, although the panorama is unmissable.

Keeping a respectful distance from the edge of the rocks, we reach a point from where we can surprisingly closely scan the course of the Danube: the Szentendre Island sprawling on the river, Dunabogdány opposite, and Verőce below us. The most impressive sight is given by the Visegrád Citadel; from here it is obvious how perfectly strategically it has been built. To the left above it we can spot the lookout of Mogyoró Hill, further away the Predikáló-szék (Preacher’s Chair), and behind it the long ridge of Dobogókő. The left bank of the Danube’s bend is dominated by the block of Szent Mihály Hill, beneath which the tower of the Nagymaros Exaltation of the Holy Cross church, renovated in 2018, gleams white.

 The viewpoint without a view

Returning to the P ◼ marking, we descend on the only narrow path of the tour — without it, we could easily manage the loop with any bike — leaving Aranyoskút’s houses behind. Soon we will spot the P▲ marking branching towards the peak of Borbély Hill, the edge of the ancient 15-million-year-old volcanic crater ring of Börzsöny seen from Verőce. On the 283 m high top, there is an observation terrace protected by a railing built by the MÁV Gépgyári Sportkör Tourist Class back in the 1930s, but now overgrown with vegetation so unfortunately nothing can be seen of the surrounding landscape anymore. If we still make this twice 400 m detour, a bit lower to the left we can walk out to the ruins of a building, from where we get some view, but it can’t match the panorama from the Aranyoskút viewpoint.

From here, there’s nothing left but to continue following the P▲ marking downhill in the Magyar-máli-dűlő slope into Verőce. The hiking trail enters the settlement at the Magyarkút-Verőce railway station, which has seen better days. If you want to return to Csattogó Valley, it is advisable to turn off to Bereg Street from the marking, which leads us directly to the P marking. Turning right here, soon we reach the left fork of the Gyöngyök útja leading back to the valley and thus arrive back at the start and end point of our walk.