Öreg-kő and Kőszikla: the northern outcrops of Gerecse

Itinerary

• From Péliföldszentkereszt, we follow the National Blue Trail K marker northwest towards the rest area at the foot of the Öreg-kő near Bajót, heading towards Mogyorósbánya.
• We make a detour to the caves located on the side of Öreg-kő following the KΩ marker from the Öreg-kő rest area.
• From the rest area, we again follow the National Blue Trail K marker towards Mogyorósbánya up to the saddle above the village.
• From the saddle, we proceed east along the K+ marker towards the Kőszikla.
• We reach the viewpoint via the K▲ marked path, and then return to the junction on the same path.
• From the Kőszikla down to Mogyorósbánya, we descend following the National Blue Trail K marker, then continue south towards the saddle above the village on the K / Z marker.
• From the saddle, we follow the Z marker, which runs together with the Mary Road, back to Péliföldszentkereszt.

Detailed description of the route:

From Péliföldszentkereszt to Öreg-kő

Our journey begins from the Péliföldszentkereszt bus stop following the National Blue Trail K marker through the Salesian order monastery complex. The settlement, inhabited since the Árpád era, is first mentioned under the name Peel in 1243. During the Turkish period, it shared the fate of depopulated nearby villages, and only from the mid-18th century did monks settle here thanks to Cardinal Ferenc Bakóczy’s goodwill. In the newly revived church and the monastery built around it, first the Nazarenes, then the Pauline monks, and finally from the early 20th century, the Salesians following the spirit of Don Bosco have been active. The order, founded in Turin, aimed "to provide Christian education for girls and youth in material or spiritual need." They mainly helped youth marginalized by society through education and charitable work, giving them faith and life purpose. After World War II, the communist regime confiscated the monastery, which was then used as a mining school and dormitory, and the local agricultural cooperative’s hunter’s lodge was housed in the theology building. However, after the regime change, the Salesians regained their rightful property; the reorganized order with growing numbers of monks and institutions nationwide helps needy youth.

After the monastery building surrounded by old trees, a few hundred meters away, we reach the holy well created with the Lourdes grotto sanctuary. Not only the monks but also the tourists passing through feel the spirituality of the place. It's worth spending a few minutes by the bubbling spring at the edge of the well-kept meadow: true peace prevails in the shady corner of the valley. It is advisable to continue with cool spring water, beginning a slow ascent towards the forested mass of Öreg-kő. Leaving the valley, we walk among fields and meadows towards the increasingly towering, cliff-shaped peak. In the oak forest at the mountain base, we soon reach a rest area built at the sharp bend of the National Blue Trail, from which it is definitely worth taking a short detour to visit the hidden treasures of the rocky hillside.

The exciting formations of Öreg-kő near Bajót

On the increasingly steep side of Öreg-kő, we ascend on a stair-supported path marked KΩ. At the first right turn, we reach Öreg-kő No. 1 chasm, whose entrance is barred with a metal grate, protecting us from the dangerous shaft of the cave that drops into the abyss inside the steep rocky hillside. The cave itself enjoys enhanced protection due to the formations found there. Numerous interesting mineral precipitations, such as cauliflower-like calcite and aragonite crystals and once Europe-famous large tabular barite crystals, can now only rarely be seen on the cave walls.

Returning to the original path and continuing up the steep hillside, we observe an interesting phenomenon. Thick moss layers increasingly cover the surrounding tree trunks, thanks to the damp microclimate. The rocky gorge on the steep hillside increasingly closes in the shadow of the towering cliff — finally, we reach the entrance area to caves that provide moist, cool air. First, we pass by the smaller Baits cave composed of a single spherical niche, then turn left at the cliff to a unique sight. The rock accompanying our path arches over us in a massive vault, unfolding the imposing and special rock formation of the Jankovich cave. Highlighting the dramatic shapes and sizes, a perfectly round window opens in the cave ceiling to the sky, naturally lighting the spacious rock hall inside. On the walls, we can clearly observe the stratification of the Dachstein limestone that builds the mountain in 1–2 meter thick horizontal layers. In the inner corners of the cave, rising warm waters have dissolved vent-like cavities into the ceiling, which serve as maternity colonies for bats during the summer. The bat colonies that gather in these protected, dark niches, providing life to the younger generation, with their pungent odor are important foundations of the cave ecosystem. In the past, the accumulated guano was harvested as a valuable raw material from caves in the inner Gerecse region, used as phosphorus for gunpowder production; today, it provides habitat for fungi, beetles, and other decomposers. Let us be gentle with the fragile ecosystem present and not disturb the inhabitants!

From the Jankovich cave, we return and at the junction before the Baits cave, turning off and following a path traversing horizontally along the stony slope, after some traversing, we reach the entrance of the atmospheric Szalay cave from a small clearing. Exploring this cave, which is 40 meters long in total, is a real adventure. For entering the maze-like passage system formed of spherical rooms, bring a lamp! Even at the entrance and in the first chamber, the geological background of the cave's formation is clearly visible. The passages are formed by rows of sometimes several-meter-long interlocking dissolution pits, dissolved by rising warm waters along fractures in the solid limestone composing the mountain. The largest of these pits has a diameter of nearly 3 meters in the ceiling of the back chamber.

At the edge of the clearing before the cave is an excellent viewpoint offering panoramic views of the Öreg-kő side, the forests below it, and on good days, from the limestone outcrops of the Eastern Gerecse through the Pilis to the volcanic cone of the Börzsöny. After descending back to the rest area at the intersection of KΩ and K markers, we continue eastward along the National Blue Trail path.

The Kőszikla above Mogyorósbánya and its surroundings

Descending through the pleasant oak forest spreading at the foot of Öreg-kő, and after crossing a meadow, we arrive at the saddle above Mogyorósbánya at the boundary of arable fields and forests. Here we must continue along the K+ marker towards Kőszikla. After a few hundred meters of gentle ascent, we reach the open plateau of Látó Hill. The name speaks for itself: indeed, a great panorama opens from this sparsely wooded plain with pine trees. From a section of the trail containing only traces of the K+ mark, we veer towards Kő Hill on the far side of an arable field, and shortly after, reach the summit adorned with groups of pines.

At the junction of K+ and K markers, we reach a memorial plaque announcing the Komárom-Esztergom county astronomy division of the Scientific Educational Association. For decades, local astronomers have held their professional observation camp at this place. Just a few meters from the plaque, the K▲ marker starts towards the limestone cliffs of Kőszikla, from where we can also look around the landscape. The view is similar to that of Öreg-kő, only closer: we observe the clods of Gerecse, the Danube, Esztergom, and the colorful wine cellars of Tokod lined up below our feet.

The hill’s peculiarity is that, unlike other Gerecse clods, here we do not find the usual marine limestone but a freshwater variant deposited by a spring. Millions of years ago in the ancient Gerecse, limestone dissolved by deep-penetrating precipitation water emerged at the surface through more substantial springs, forming today's Kő Hill’s material. As can be observed in other limestone mountains today, dead plant debris around the springs is coated with calcareous layers upon falling into the water. Later, the plant itself decays, but its imprint remains in the rock, creating a uniquely patterned, hole-filled stone as a memorial to the former spring. Although few know this place and even fewer visit, it is the only site in Hungary where one can climb freshwater limestone on a secured wall.

Returning to the junction, we descend westward on the K marker along a deep loess-cut path towards Mogyorósbánya. In the last century, coal mines opened at the northern boundary of the village, transporting coal by railway. The mining school’s training mine of Péliföldszentkereszt was also located here and could be seen operational in the cult Blue Trail film by Pál Rockenbauer. After the regime change, mines were closed, and tracks removed; today, only a memorial erected on the main street reminds of the former mining history.

From Mogyorósbánya’s main square, we continue south to the saddle above the village, reached by a paved, deep loess path. The saddle feels familiar since we have been here earlier between Öreg-kő and Kőszikla, but now we choose the branch marked Z leading back to Péliföldszentkereszt, crossing arable fields comfortably returning to our starting point.