On sad shores at the gateway of the river bend

Itinerary

• Follow the P+ sign from the bus stop.
• After leaving the Kerek Lake, turn left at a junction onto the P sign.
• At the hilltop, turn left onto the P▲ signs, which we follow until the Hideglelős Cross junction.
• Take a detour on the Hideglelős Cross trail (P▲+), then return.
• The P▲ sign leads back (descending alongside the main road) to the bus stop.

Detailed tour description

Along the lake chain

From the bus stop, the P+ sign leads through the mouth of the Búbánat Valley. The narrow valley is framed by steep slopes, its bottom lined with cottages in a wooded environment, and of course the main attraction: the system of four lakes. It's worth choosing the parallel street or the road running on the opposite side of the valley to take a look at all the small lakes.

The shaping of the valley's current appearance began in the 1960s, when the Vasas Fishing Association, founded by anglers from Esztergom, started developing the lake chain – good and abundant fishing disappeared from the Danube due to worsening water quality, so local anglers looked for a new location. In Búbánat Valley, dammed lakes likely existed as early as the 13th century – some speculate there were mills on the fast-flowing creek; others believe rice was cultivated here during the Turkish occupation. Anglers dreaming of lakes in the 20th century, however, faced marshy, reed-filled swampland – the harvestable peat was just right, as it was useful for county agricultural soil improvement work. After extracting this layer, they worked hard for a long time to create the lake system, which was also affected by water pumping at the Lencse Hill coal mine, reducing the creek’s water volume. The lake chain still serves fishing purposes today, as well as providing leisure opportunities for visitors. In 2021, a visitor center (also developed by the association) opened its doors.

On our right, rises the small Szamár Hill, originally known as Zamárd Hill – legend says that the Turks leaving Esztergom hid their treasure in a donkey-shaped rock at its summit, to which they later returned. However, its name may also stem from missionaries mocking pagans as donkeys, changing many pagan-sounding place names.

Following the tourist path, the first water we see is at the shore of the Mini Lake, and last we reach the largest Kerek Lake. From its shore, the most beautiful is the ridge of the low-elevation Maróti Mountains rising on the edge of the Visegrád Mountains. The characteristic (tectonic) fault cutting the mountain edges is also outlined by the breccia ridge wedged into the Dobogó block.

On the lakeside, popular with anglers for its nice location, there is also a buffet. The origin of the popular valley name is not known but cannot be excluded that the misconstrued historical role of nearby Basaharc influenced it: according to this, after the defeat at Mohács, the Turkish army massacred a Hungarian wagon camp here. The tragic event actually took place at Pusztamarót, but the nearby valley name and the Dobozi trees standing there suggest that a belief widespread until the 1920s strongly influenced place naming in the region.

Up to the Maróti Mountains

On a gravel road, leaving the lakes behind, we hike further up the valley. On our right are holiday homes, and to the left extends a marshy, reed-filled area resembling the valley’s original appearance. At a junction, the P sign invites left; stepping onto a section near the forest edge, a spacious meadow leads into the slope – at its far end, we enter the trees. Our path avoids dry water erosion and ascends through a hornbeam-oak forest rich in deadwood. The forced bend touches the good-yielding Majális Spring enclosed in limestone, then resumes climbing the hillside. Crossing many fallen trees, broken branches, and a smaller stone field, we reach the ridge.

The narrowing ridge, segmented by smaller humps, is mostly covered by trail after which at a junction we turn left on the P▲ sign (sometimes peeking through foliage towards Prédikálószék). We bypass the Vasarc summit, which resembles the lower Basaharc name, until we reach a junction. From there, we follow the P▲ sign straight but stay alert as the trail unexpectedly invites right. Lowering, curving forest indicates shallower soil. At the Sas-hegy’s wooded summit, the foliage curtain opens, offering magnificent views: the Danube winding between the Helembai Mountains and Visegrád Mountains at the hill foot. This is so close and deep relative to our position that the view is particularly impressive. Before the river enters the narrow gorge in front of it, it deposits part of the sediment supplied by the Garam upstream, forming tiny islands. The largest is the Helembai Island, notable for once housing an archbishop’s summer house, church, and cemetery in the Middle Ages.

The next steep slope can cause trouble, especially when muddy: at places the path has eroded soil, is stony, slippery, and uncomfortably steep, and for minutes we slide down holding onto tree trunks. Then the slope moderates and at the end of a long right curve awaits a junction.

Above Danube islands

Let’s take a detour straight onto the P▲+ sign to the grassy ridge crest! The path soon turns rocky and we emerge onto the steep Hideglelős Cross. The most beautiful panorama of our route unfolds, revealing the horseshoe bend rushing Danube, the Maróti Mountains which seem cut off at their end, and the previously seen Szamár Hill. Opposite, near the Ipoly mouth, rises the Slovak Helembai Mountains (Burda), with the Kovácspatak rocks whitening on its side. We can view the lively terrain of Börzsöny from a unique angle: since the Danube and the High Börzsöny simultaneously appear behind each other, the entire range’s impressive elevation over 800 meters makes an effective scene.

We stand on the quarry rim, behind which follows the riverbank beyond the country road. Once, a Roman watchtower forming part of the limes stood here; some sources suspect fortress traces on the rock’s summit. The battered cross adorning the summit was erected in 1784 by a local citizen, popularly explained as warning sailors of the strong current ahead and urging caution. More realistically, it seems the cross was erected in thanks for the survival of his family during the plague – this is supported by the widespread use of the name "Epidemic Cross."

According to old folk belief, whoever crawls around the cross thrice on their knees is cured of chills. The naming could also be based on a record stating that many pilgrims sweating on their way to the cross caught the strong Danube wind and caught colds.

Leaving behind the view of the Duna dotted with islands and shoals and enclosed by mountains, we return to the P▲ sign and descend on it to the right, down to the dark Hideglelős Valley floor. We pass the Cold Well – interestingly, in 1929 it was claimed by the same Encian Tourist Association that also developed the tourist facilities on the far side of the Danube at St. Michael Hill. Soon, we reach the main road and walking alongside it return to the entrance of Búbánat Valley, then earlier to the bus stop.